The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a US $177m loan to upgrade 450km of state highways and and other road projects in Maharashtra, India. Under the Maharashtra state road improvement project, two major district roads and 11 state highways, with combined length of 450km will be upgraded to two-lane standard across seven districts.
The projects would improve connectivity to national highways, interstate roads, seaports, airports, rail hubs, district headquarters, industrial areas, enterprise clusters and agricultural areas.
According to Sameer Kumar Khare, Additional Secretary Department of Economic Affairs in the Ministry of Finance, the project will improve connectivity between rural areas and urban centres in the state enabling rural communities to better access markets, employment opportunities and services. “Improved mobility will expand development and livelihood opportunities outside of the state’s major urban centres to second-tier cities and towns thus reducing income disparities,” he added.
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Building capacity in climate change
The project will also focus on training the Maharashtra Public Works Department project staff to build their capacity in climate change adaptation and disaster resilient features in road design, road maintenance planning and road safety, the release said.
Kenichi Yokoyama Country Director of ADB’s India Resident Mission said that the project will also strengthen road safety measures by developing a road safety audit framework that will protect vulnerable groups such as the elderly, women, and children, following the international best practice. “The project is to update road maintenance system by encouraging five-year performance-based maintenance obligations to contractors to sustain asset quality and service levels,” he added.
