ADB to extend USD 200 mn loan for upgrading roads in Bihar

The Centre and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) Monday signed a USD 200 million loan agreement to finance widening and upgrading of about 230 km of state highways in Bihar to all-weather standards with road safety features, according to an official release. 

Since 2008, ADB has provided four loans amounting to USD 1.43 billion to Bihar for upgrading about 1,453 km of state highways and constructing a new bridge over the Ganga River near Patna.

Bihar State Highways III Project, approved by the ADB Board in October this year, 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 release said.

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 subsector. In 2017, ADB operations totalled USD 32.2 billion, including USD 11.9 billion in co-financing.