People’s Republic of China: Southern Gansu Roads Development Project

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Lessons

Careful consideration of all the factors that can affect the implementation of road projects in complex terrains supports the formulation of realistic timetables..

The project was undertaken in one of the most complex geotechnical terrains in the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The Gansu Changda Highway Company Limited, with support from the Gansu Provincial Transport Department, undertook numerous technical research and development studies during the detailed design of the expressway to address the project’s challenging geotechnical conditions. Application of these studies resulted in the construction of PRC’s first two-story bridge, reduction of landslide risk, and decreased overall environmental impact. However, the original project schedule did not adequately consider the complexity of the project location in terms of isolation, terrain, and climate. Although most delays were due to the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, additional studies and surveys during project preparation could have helped the formulation of a more realistic implementation schedule.

Project Cycle Stage:

Preparation

Potential barriers to women’s participation and employment in jobs that will be created should be addressed in the design of projects.

Jobs for women during construction were envisioned at appraisal. But this did not progress much, with women capturing only 5% of the 1.8 million labor days per year generated by the expressway construction alone. Underpinning this dismal achievement was the pervasive social bias against women working in unskilled jobs in the construction industry, which had not been fully analyzed and addressed during project preparation. To ensure the incorporation of gender in the design and implementation of future projects, a thorough gender analysis should be conducted and measures to address potential barriers to women’s employment and participation should be identified during the design stage.

Project Cycle Stage:

Preparation

Adapting to the fast-changing transport technology and consumer demands will help ensure the relevance of government transport projects.

The project was undertaken over a long period, during which on-demand and ride share services significantly increased and traditional bus services were being replaced by more flexible mini-bus services. The provision of 30 bus stations and smaller stops, instead of the initially planned 200 stations, and the encouragement of mixed-use stations demonstrated government commitment to deliver a project that is relevant to the community. This type of flexibility will increase in importance as the rate of change in transport technology and services increases. The project also showed how and why multipurpose buildings are a more efficient use of resources, particularly in rural areas.

Project Cycle Stage:

Implementation

Background

A difficult mountainous terrain and an inadequate transport system used to isolate southern Gansu in the western region of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Before the project, Gansu's road density was just 9.1 kilometers (km) per 100 square kilometers (km2), or not even half the national average of 20 km per 100 km2. 24% of the villages had no road access and 25% had no bus service. 57% of the townships had no all-weather roads, and there was also no expressway, class I road, airport, or railway linking Longnan, the focal project prefecture, to surrounding areas. With poor connectivity and mobility, Gansu was PRC’s second poorest province during project appraisal.

The Southern Gansu Roads Development Project, approved in December 2006 by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for a loan of $300 million, sought to improve the situation by constructing an important section of the high priority Lanzhou–Haikou corridor and improving the local road transport system. The project’s anticipated impact was sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction in Gansu and the project area. Its intended outcome was improved transport services in Longnan municipality. It had six planned outputs: (i) a 134-kilometer (km) toll expressway from Wudu to Guanzigou, (ii) 357 km rural roads upgraded, (iii) 200 township bus stations, (iv) a road transport action plan piloted, (v) improved corporate governance, and (vi) strengthened capacity of local transport authorities.

The Wudu–Guanzigou Expressway, the project’s main physical output, was opened to traffic in December 2013. 357.42 km rural roads, longer than planned, were upgraded to class IV or III roads. A total of 30, instead of 200, mostly class V bus stations and 1,500 bus stops were built. Most of these bus stations also serve as multifunction buildings, housing other government services such as police, health and tourism, and transport. The transport action plan piloted in Longnan brought about transport service improvements in the project area and nearby: by 2016, 100% of townships and 90% of administrative villages in Southern Gansu had access to bus and/or mini-bus services and by end-2017, 95% of all villages in Gansu enjoyed the same benefit.

Corporate governance reforms effectively separated road sector planning and policy work from construction and operation and maintenance. Focusing on the construction of high-class roads and expressways, the state-owned Gansu Changda Highway Company Limited (GCHC) developed several remarkable technical innovations, including tunnels in mountainous areas, safety design, a double-story bridge, landslide hazard detection, seismic design, and disaster prevention technology.

Notwithstanding a 3.5-year delay in completion due mainly to the 2008 earthquake and heavy rains during construction, the project was highly effective in achieving its intended outcome. The expressway reduced travel time between Wudu and Guanzigou from 8 hours to1.5 hours. Vehicle operating costs/km were reduced by 54%. Rural incomes rose from CNY1,780 in 2007 to CNY5,405 (about $837) in 2015.

The Gansu Provincial Transport Department executed the project. Three agencies served as implementing agencies ─ the GCHC for the expressway, the Longnan Transport Bureau for rural roads, and the Gansu Provincial Transport Administration Bureau for the bus station and transport service components.

Project Information

Project Name:

Southern Gansu Roads Development Project

Report Date:

July, 2018

Main Sector:

Transport

Country:

China

Project Number:

38174-013

Report Type: