World Bank finances rural road project in East China

BEIJING - The World Bank has decided to lend $200 million to a transport project in East China to improve the maintenance and management of rural roads.

The project will focus on road networks in 10 counties in Anhui province and is expected to directly benefit 1,661 villages and 11 million people.

The World Bank said maintenance of infrastructure would become a key issue for China, where roads, railways and other infrastructure are being rapidly expanded. For instance, rural roads in Anhui increased significantly from 34,000 km in 2000 to 172,000 km in 2015.

The project will help Anhui explore new ways to improve the quality, maintenance, resilience and safety of its road network, and provide a model that could be shared with other provinces as well as other countries.

"After the project is completed, 75 percent of county and township roads will be in excellent or good condition, 98 percent of rural roads under maintenance, and experience promoted in other places," the World Bank said.

Local people will benefit from improved access to employment, social services and other economic opportunities, according to the World Bank.