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Climate change

Bihar State Highways III Project (Phase 2) Impacts on Road Network and Safety

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Bihar, one of India's 12 largest states by area, faces significant development challenges, including low per capita income, high poverty rates, and inadequate infrastructure. The state's road network plays a crucial role in facilitating economic growth and improving living standards. The Bihar State Highways III Project (Phase 2) aims to upgrade the state's road network, particularly focusing on highway construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance. The project is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and is expected to be completed by 2025.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Bihar State Highways III Project (Phase 2) is designed to improve the state's road network, with a focus on highway construction, rehabilitation, and maintenance.
  • The project has a total funding of US$ 285 million, with US$ 167 million provided as a loan from the ADB, and the remaining amount as ordinary capital resources.
  • The project aims to achieve various development outcomes, including addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities (OP1), accelerating progress in gender equality (OP2), tackling climate change and building disaster resilience (OP3), and promoting rural development and food security (OP5).
  • By 2019-2020, Bihar's annual per capita GSDP was approximately 34% of the national average, with a growth rate of 10.5%, compared to 4.0% nationally.
  • The state's road network comprises 211,016 km as of 2020, with all higher-class roads paved, but most rural roads unpaved.
  • The road density of state highways in Bihar is lower than the national average, with 4.3 km per 100 km2 compared to 5.6 km per 100 km2 nationally.
  • In 2017, Bihar's road accident rate was 14.2 per 10,000 vehicles, lower than the national average of 18.4, but the fatality rate was 8.9 per 10,000 vehicles, higher than the national average of 5.8.
  • The Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL) is adopting good road design practices to improve road safety.

Statistics:

  • Total funding for the Bihar State Highways III Project (Phase 2): US$ 285 million
  • Loan amount from the Asian Development Bank (ADB): US$ 167 million
  • Ordinary capital resources: US$ 118 million
  • Length of road network in Bihar as of 2020: 211,016 km
  • Percentage of rural roads unpaved: approximately 100%
  • Road density of state highways in Bihar: 4.3 km per 100 km2
  • Road accident rate in Bihar (2017): 14.2 per 10,000 vehicles
  • Fatality rate in Bihar (2017): 8.9 per 10,000 vehicles
  • National average road accident rate (2017): 18.4 per 10,000 vehicles
  • National average fatality rate (2017): 5.8 per 10,000 vehicles

Sources:

  • Asian Development Bank (ADB) (no date)
  • Bihar State Road Development Corporation Limited (BSRDCL) (no date)
  • Government of India (2011-2012) (no date)
  • SyndiGate Media Inc. (2022)

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