The World Bank on Friday approved $425 million to improve road communication in Bangladesh through the building, maintaining and improving of rural bridges.
The development and construction of the bridges are set to benefit two-thirds of the country's population.
Under the Operation for Supporting Rural Bridges program, 85,000 meters of bridges will be maintained, 29,000 meters of bridges will be widened or rehabilitated, and another 20,000 meters of bridges will be built, said the global lending agency.
In addition to creating job opportunities for locals, the program will also generate employment for about 5.5 million day labourers, through long-term maintenance work. Furthermore, the program will support the government's existing program for the development and maintenance of rural bridges, reports UNB.
"By bridging the missing links in the country’s rural road network, the program will enable rural communities living in remote areas to have better road connections," said Qimiao Fan, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.
"This will help millions of rural people access markets, hospitals, and schools, as well as create new opportunities for livelihoods."
Geographical features
Bangladesh has a higher road density than any other South Asian country, including India and Sri Lanka.
As Bangladesh's flat terrain is criss-crossed with hundreds of rivers, bridges play a critical part in the country's road system.
A bridge to connect two disjointed road sections is needed for every 4.5 km of road in upazilas.
While Bangladesh enjoys an extensive rural road network, one-fifth of the rural bridges needed are yet to be built. Rural bridges will be built, widened, and maintained in 61 districts under the project.
The project will rebuild bridges in 19 coastal districts, to include climate resilient features.
The benefits of the program
"The project will support the government’s efforts and improve institutional capacity to plan, design, and manage rural bridges, particularly by ensuring they are climate resilient in coastal areas," said Farhad Ahmed, World Bank Senior transport specialist and team leader for the program.
"It will promote citizen's participation, including women, to ensure construction quality and will develop a mobile phone-based application for citizens to report quality issues."
The credit from the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA) has a 30-year term, including a five-year grace period.