China - Shaanxi Ankang Road Development Project

Page 1 INTEGRATED SAFEGUARDS DATA SHEET CONCEPT STAGE Report No.: AC1542 Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 07/13/2005 I. BASIC INFORMATION A. Basic Project Data Country: China Project ID: P075613 Project Name: Shaanxi Ankang Road Development Task Team Leader: Aurelio Menendez Estimated Appraisal Date: March 22, 2006 Estimated Board Date: June 22, 2006 Managing Unit: EASTR Lending Instrument: Specific Investment Loan Sector: Roads and highways (90%);Sub-national government administration (10%) Theme: Regional integration (P);Other public sector governance (P);Rural services and infrastructure (P);Export development and competitiveness (S) IBRD Amount (US$m.): 300.00 IDA Amount (US$m.): 0.00 GEF Amount (US$m.): 0.00 PCF Amount (US$m.): 0.00 Other financing amounts by source: BORROWER 575.00 575.00 B. Project Objectives [from section 2 of PCN] The project aims to improve passenger and freight traffic flows in an efficient and safe manner along the corridor from Ankang to the Sichuan Border within the Ankang Prefecture. To achieve that objective, the project will seek to: (a) enhance road infrastructure capacity and transport integration along the corridor; (b) increase accessibility to markets and social services by the lower-income rural areas of Ankang; and (c) strengthen the capacity of the Shaanxi Provincial Transport Department in managing the increasing number of kilometers of roads under its responsibility in the Shaanxi province and, in particular, within the Ankang region. C. Project Description [from section 3 of PCN] To achieve the above-mentioned objective and results, the project will include: ? Construction of an expressway of about 105 km connecting Ankang and the border with the Sichuan Province (ASH). The expressway would consist of four lanes and be designed for a speed of 80 km/hr, taking into account the mountainous terrain of the corridor. The design will include the necessary road safety audits to ensure that it incorporates the appropriate road safety features. This component also contains the acquisition and installation of the pertinent E&M facilities. Page 2 ? Improvement of interconnecting provincial, county and village roads in the rural areas surrounding the corridor of the above-mentioned expressway. A preliminary list of links has been identified including: one Class III segment of 73 kms; about 650 km of country and townships roads (largely Class IV); and about 810 km of village roads (largely substandard). The interventions will consist of rehabilitation of existing roadways, with adjustments to its width when necessary or upgrading existing non-motorized tracks to motorized substandard roadways when warranted by the number of beneficiaries and due consideration to environmental impacts. ? Carrying out surveys of road condition, towards revamping the information base of the Shaanxi Highway Bureau and establishing the baseline and future data for the effective use of the existing pavement management systems in supporting informed decisions on the maintenance of the Shaanxi road network. ? Supervision of the construction of the ASH?with a joint local/foreign supervision team?and of the improvements to the interconnecting roads. ? Provision of technical assistance for: (a) impact evaluation and monitoring studies to measure the impacts of the rural road component of the project in the Ankang region, establishing a knowledge base for future interventions on those types of roads across the Shaanxi Province; and (b) institutional strengthening through the training of staff of the agencies/institutions involved in highway research, planning, construction, operation and maintenance of highways and related social aspects, building on training carried out under previous Bank-financed projects. D. Project location (if known) The expressway to be constructed under the project connects the city of Ankang (in Yijiaying Village), about 200 kilometers South of Xi'an, the capital of the Shaanxi Province, with the border with the neighboring Sichuan Province, at Baiyangxi, over a distance of about 105 kilometers. For the component on the improvement of interconnecting provincial, the provincial, county, and village roads will be located in the rural areas along the corridor of the expressway. E. Borrower