TUNISIA - RURAL ROADS PROJECT

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The objectives of the Rural Roads Project are public sector restructuring, budgetary reforms, private sector development, the development of improved road standards, the reduction of disparities between urban and rural areas, the reduction of rural to urban migration, and improving the delivery of social services to the poorer population. The objectives will be realized through improving maintenance of rural roads, particularly unpaved ones; decentralizing road management responsibilities to local governments, without developing new entities; establishing a link between budgets and road classification; strengthening budgetary disciplines, transparency and accountability; targeting specific road maintenance tasks for execution by contract to improve efficiency and to create new development opportunities for a dynamic private sector; and finally minimizing life-cycle costs by making optimum use of gravel road techniques. The project includes: 1) the preparation and initial implementation of an institutional reform program; 2) the periodic rehabilitation of approximately 300 km of gravel roads in a pilot program to be carried out by contract in ten Governorates; and 3) the upgrading of about 715 km of priority rural roads to appropriate standards.