India signs $200 million Loan pact with ADB for Bihar State Highways III Project (BSHP-III)

The Government of India has recently signed $200 Million Loan pact with Asian Development Bank (ADB) in New Delhi for the Bihar State Highways III Project (BSHP-III) . The pact was signed to finance widening and upgrading of about 230 Kilometers State Highways in Bihar to all-weather standards with road safety features. The improved roads under the Project will contribute to savings in vehicle operating cost and travel time, reduce vehicle emissions, and improve road safety. The Project will also establish a State-level Road Research Institute to improve technical and management capacity of the Road Agency Staff. Since 2008, ADB has provided four loans to Bihar, amounting to $1.43 billion, to upgrade about 1,453 km of State Highways and to construct a New Bridge over the Ganga River near Patna. This BSHP-III project, approved by the ADB Board in October 2018, will involve upgrading State Highways to standard two-lane width with road safety features and paved shoulders including reconstructing, widening, and strengthening culverts and bridges. The Project will also build institutional capacity of the State for road design and maintenance and incorporate appropriate new technologies in the State’s road sub-sector.