Madagascar - Second Rural Transport Project (APL)

Report No. 23525 Report No: I073689 <--Please check for duplicates! Integrated Safeguards Data Sheet (Initial) Date ISDS Prepared/Updated: 01/08/2002 Section I - Basic Information A. Basic Project Data Country: MADAGASCAR Project ID: P073689 Project: Rural Transport Project - APL-Phase 2 Task Team Leader: Dieter E. Schelling Appraisal Date: January 28, 2002 IBRD Amount ($m): Bank Approval: May 21, 2002 IDA Amount ($m): 80.00 Managing Unit: AFTTR Sector: TR - Rural Roads Lending Instrument: Adaptable Program Loan (APL) Status: Lending I.A.2. Project Objectives: The development objective of the project is to sustainably improve the access of rural communities to markets, schools, health centers and other economic and social infrastructure, and to enhance the mobility of the rural population, in order to improve their quality of life and promote economic development. I.A.3. Project Description: The project has five components: 1) Capacity building. Assistance to the Rural Transport Unit (RTU) to oversee the implementation of the rural transport policy and strategy (further capacity building relevant to this project in respect of the Provincial Road Agencies (PRA), the Provincial Road Departments (PRD) and small scale labor based contractors is being be done under APL-1). 2) Rehabilitation of rural transport infrastructure. This component includes the following: (i) the rehabilitation of about 8,000 km of rural roads. The vast majority of these roads (where traffic is less than 50vpd) will be improved to "basic access standard" which is defined as the least cost investment to make the roads all-round passable (with the exception of short periods of heavy rains) for the prevailing means of transport. Basic access interventions focus on the elimination of trouble spots. For roads with higher traffic levels (50-150 vpd) full rehabilitation to earth road standard will be sought and above 200 vpd paving of the road will be an option. A first year program has been selected and detailed design and bidding documents are being prepared. Further annual programs in five tranches have been identified. These will be reviewed and adjusted in annual provincial planning workshops. The program will be appropriately packaged in lots for small scale labor based contractors (about 40- of the volume) and for medium to large scale contractors (about 60- of the volume). The program will provide reliable access to an estimated 6 million people or 83t of the population which currently has no reliable access or does not have road access at all. Additionally, it is estimated that each year 5 million person-days of work (at one dollar per day) will be provided in rural areas; (ii) the component also includes a pilot for the improvement of appropriate rural transport infrastructure at community level. This might include the construction of foot bridges or appropriate tracks for ox-carts. 3) Maintenance of the rehabilitated network. This component has been  made an integral part of the project to ensure that maintenance of the rehabilitated network is executed adequately and appropriately, and that this is closely monitored. Finance for this component will be provided by the RMF (90%) and the provincial governments (10%-), and for a limited period by the EU and the central government (which plan to subsidize the RMF from 2002 to 2004). IDA will contribute only a modest amount in respect of a study for the introduction of a heavy vehicle licence fee and, possibly, the continuation of the financing of the technical and financial audit, after expiry of the respective EU financing. The result of the technical and financial audit will be presented to the partners at the annual transport sector conference in May each year. A satisfactory outcome of the audit is a requirement for the continuation of the program. In the case of defaulting provinces, these will be excluded from the following year program. It is estimated that an additional amount of 2.5 million person-days of work will be created on average each year by the maintenance program. 4) Rehabilitation of the corridor Fianarantsoa-Manankara: This corridor relies heavily on the FCE Railway (Fianarantsoa-C