August 28, 2009 - 18:28 AMT
WB to provide Armenia 36.6 million USD to rural roads restoration
The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors on August 27 approved a credit of US$ 36.6 million of additional financing for the Lifeline Road Improvement Project for Armenia, press office of the World Bank reports. This project will assist the government of Armenia in its on-going efforts to drastically improve accessibility of the country's main road network for the rural population and to create employment. It will also help Armenia mitigate the impacts of the global economic crisis on the country's economy and the well-being of its population.
The additional financing will further scale-up activities under the on-going original project to improve the condition of 140 km of roads. Over the years, insufficient investment in the rehabilitation and maintenance of lifeline roads has made the overall road quality poor, and left some roads difficult to use and others completely impassable. The poor conditions and inadequacy of the lifeline roads connecting rural communities to the main highways affects many aspects of rural life and means that business opportunities are lost, it's harder for kids to get to school, and more difficult for people to get urgent medical attention when they need it.