Bolivia Promotes Climate Resilient Roads with World Bank Support

WASHINGTON  – The World Bank Board of Directors approved a new project in the Plurinational State of Bolivia to strengthen climate risk management in the road sector and improve the climate resilience and safety of bridges and sections of highways in the country.

Bolivia, which ranks tenth on the Global Climate Risk, has experienced widespread damage in recent years owing to extreme weather events such as high temperatures and heavy rainfall, which have triggered landslides and flooding of considerable economic and social impact.

In this context, the US$118.5 million loan will support a long-term vision in the road sector by financing the Road Sector Climate Resilience Program. This project will benefit more than 165,000 residents of the municipalities of Chimoré and Ivirgarzama in Cochabamba, Guanay in La Paz and Monteagudo in Chuquisaca. It will also benefit pedestrians and drivers of the approximately 9,000 public and private vehicles that use these roads and bridges daily.

Likewise, public servants of national agencies involved in road asset management and road safety, including the project implementer, the Bolivian Highway Administration (ABC), will receive training on issues such as infrastructure vulnerability and climate change mitigation actions, among others.

“The World Bank has global experience in the transport sector and in improving road infrastructure to make it safer and more climate resilient. That experience has demonstrated that when roads and bridges are built using a resilient approach, we are safeguarding the lives and well-being of users and nearby populations and avoiding reconstruction costs for the country,” said Camille Nuamah, World Bank resident representative in Bolivia.

The project has two main components. The first encompasses institutional development and capacity building in climate risk management in the country’s road sector. It includes a comprehensive assessment of climate risks, climate resilience priorities and institutional capacities of all institutions managing Bolivia’s national road network, as well as a strategy to improve effective response to current and future challenges in this area.

The second component supports the implementation of three subprojects developed using a climate disaster resilience approach to reduce the risk of potential incidents on the following key sections of the Red Vial Fundamental.

· The Chimoré-Ivirgarzama section (32 km). Project activities include enlarging this road to two lanes, building a new bridge and access ramps, replacing drainage ditches and constructing access routes to existing viaduct and pedestrian bridges.

· The two-lane, 200-meter Guanay section. Activities will focus on minimizing climate vulnerability and maximizing road safety to prevent future incidents in this densely populated area.

· The III Molino-Monteagudo section (13 km). The project will rehabilitate an existing section of this road and build a new rural road (bypass) to avoid the urban area. This section of road is located in an area at risk of landslides, where road closures, damage and traffic interruptions are frequent and significant.

The program also includes works and activities at the municipal level, where at least half of the funds will be earmarked for priorities defined by local women to promote their economic empowerment and social inclusion and to prevent gender-based violence.

The approved loan is from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and has a 25-year maturity period and a 14-year grace period.