"The assistance supports the government's priority of delivering urban services in rural areas by increasing connectivity, providing greater access to social services and markets, and promoting the agriculture sector, benefiting over 51.5 million people," said the ADB's Bangladesh country director Manmohan Parkash.
"It will also improve transport efficiency, generate 3.13 million person-days of employment, introduce high-level technology to enhance road master planning, and create road safety awareness among rural population." The assistance will support the government's Rural Connectivity Improvement Project (RCIP) to upgrade about 1,700 km (1,056 miles) of rural roads to all-weather standards in 34 districts located in five divisions.
The project also prioritizes the repair of roads damaged by flash floods in 2017. Only about 40 percent of the rural population in Bangladesh has access to all-weather roads, and these roads make up only 28 percent of the total length of rural roads in the country.