The components of the Anhui Province Roads Development Project include: (i) Component A: “Green” Roads Development in Anhui Province, mainly including construction/upgrading of six road sections in five municipalities in Anhui Province. Total mileage for construction and upgrading is about 196 km. (ii) Component B: Pilot of Technologies for Sustainable Road Development. (iii) Component C: a capacity building component to support effective project preparation, implementation, management and operation.

The Project is envisaged to support Anhui’s road development in addressing these two urgent challenges. On one hand, the Project will support Anhui in further developing its road networks across critical corridors in the Province, improving connectivity and transport services, as well as reducing safety risks. On the other hand, through piloting appropriate technologies innovatively in road construction and upgrading, the Project will showcase the benefits of applying suitable technologies for sustainable road infrastructure development.

The Project is to be implemented over five years from 2022 to 2026. Anhui Provincial Government will be the Project Entity, and Anhui Provincial Department of Transport (APDT) will be the Implementing Agency for the Project. A Project Management Office for Utilization of Foreign Fund under APDT, takes the overall responsibility of the Project implementation. The Loan will finance procurement of works, goods and services for the Project in compliance with NDB Procurement Policy and China’s country system stipulated through national legislations and regulations.

The Project has been categorized as Category A in line with the NDB’s Environmental and Social Framework (ESF) and China’s environmental impact assessment regulations. Main environmental and social impacts from the Project include (i) land acquisition, temporary land use and resettlement, (ii) impacts possibly to biodiversity and habitats during tunnel and construction of bridges, (iii) impacts to occupational safety associated with tunneling and bridge construction, and (iv) temporary traffic and public utilities disruption and environmental pollutant discharge during construction. These impacts will be mitigated by adherence to requirements of E&S country system and implementation of a consolidated Environmental and Social Impact Management Plan (ESIMP).

The total cost of the Project is estimated at EUR 1,056 million. NDB will finance EUR 340 million (32% of the total cost). The remaining balance will be sourced from the annual budgets of the Project Entity.