ADB, India ink USD 177 mn loan to upgrade roads in MaharashtraThe Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the government of India have inked USD 177 million loan to upgrade roads in the state of Maharashtra.

The move will see upgradation of 450 km state highways and major district roads in the state.

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 Tier-II cities and towns thus reducing income disparities.

The project will also strengthen road safety measures by developing a road safety audit framework.

Another feature of 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.

Overall the project will upgrade two major district roads and 11 state highways, with combined length of 450 km, to two-lane standard across seven districts of Maharashtra, and improve connectivity to national highways, interstate roads, seaports, airports, rail hubs, district headquarters, industrial areas, enterprise clusters and agricultural areas.

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.


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