ADB approves $300-mn to upgrade roads in Assam

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $300 million loan to upgrade more than 300 km of state highways and major district and rural roads in Assam, including six road sections in the state's western, central, and southern regions.

Principal Transport Specialist for South Asia, ADB, Yasushi Tanaka, informed that the planned road upgrades will curtail travel time and costs, besides, improving the mobility and accessibility of people in the less developed areas of the state. Improved connectivity and safe road networks will spur growth within the state and contribute to its potential as a growth catalyst for the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) region. The project will expand state highways and major district roads from single lane to two lanes and introduce new climate and disaster-resilient structures. It will also establish pedestrian and public transport facilities, elevate highways in flood-prone areas, and include landslide prevention structures in hilly and mountainous areas.