At project appraisal, the Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region, in the northwestern part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), was one of the country’s least developed inland areas. Its per capita gross domestic product (GDP) in 2002 was about two-thirds of the national average. Of its 15 counties, eight were classified as poverty counties.
To help develop the region, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a $250 million loan for the Ningxia Roads Development Project in September 2003. The project’s envisaged impact was improved economic growth through better transport linkages, lower transport costs, and greater trade and investment in the project area. Its expected outcomes were increased transport capacity and efficiency of freight and passenger movement and improved access to poor counties in southern Ningxia. These outcomes were to be achieved through, among other outputs: (i) the construction of a 182-kilometer (km) four-lane access-controlled toll expressway from Tongxin to Yanchuanzi, complete with tunnels and bridges, interchanges and toll stations, and service areas; (ii) improvement/upgrade of 404 km of 12 local roads in poor counties and minority areas; and (iii) provision of equipment for road maintenance and safety, toll collection, surveillance and communication, axle load testing, and office administration.
At completion, the project delivered all its planned outputs, with a few adjustments that made it more beneficial. A section of the Tongxin─Yanchuanzi expressway was realigned to avoid the proposed site for a new reservoir that was to be constructed in response to the severe drought in the project area in 2007. Completion of the expressway has strengthened Ningxia’s connectivity with Shaanxi, Hubei, and Gansu provinces. It also led to an increase in road freight traffic volume by 148% between 2004 and 2010, and in passenger traffic volume by 64% during the same period. More local roads, 18 in all, with a total length of 509 km were upgraded, providing 97.8% of the villages all-weather road access. The improved roads reduced average travel distance to schools, hospitals, and other facilities by about 30%. This enabled about 99.8% of women to give birth in hospitals in 2010, resulting in significantly fewer deaths at birth. It also spurred a nearly three-fold increase in the number of public bus lines in the project area.
A road safety action plan, which integrated engineering, enforcement, education, and emergency response features, was developed. Road safety education was provided to local communities and road users before the expressway was opened to the public. Traffic signs and guardrails were adequately provided, and traffic control equipment and surveillance systems were installed. Speed monitoring equipment along the expressway has compelled drivers to follow the designated speed limits. All road safety measures were effective as evidenced by the significant reduction, between 2004 and 2010, in traffic accidents and accident fatalities in the region’s main road and the expressway, despite an increase in traffic volume.
The number of overloaded vehicles decreased considerably with the installation of axle-weighing scales, making it more possible for the project assets to achieve their design life. Emergency towing equipment, asphalt pavement repair equipment, snow sweepers, and road sweepers procured under the project have bolstered the government’s capacity to provide regular road maintenance services, strengthening even more the prospect for sustainability of the project assets and benefits.
Review of the project accomplishments at the impact level also yielded positive findings. In addition to generating income, employment, and business opportunities, the project paved the way to more external investments in the area. Annual per capita GDP in the counties and districts along the expressway increased by 252%–439% from 2004 to 2011. A total of 644 enterprises with about $4.2 billion of investments started operations in seven counties/districts along the alignment from 2009 to 2012. The booming industrial parks provided significant employment opportunities to local poor.
As a result, the living standards and income of the local population have improved, particularly among the poor. The annual per capita income of farmers increased 152%–182% from 2004 to 2011 in the counties/districts in the project area, which was higher than the 133% average increase in the Ningxia region. From 2004 to 2010, poverty incidence decreased from 44.4% to 22.3% in the seven project counties/districts. The operation of the expressway and improved local roads has also promoted gender development in the project area. Girls’ enrollment at primary school increased from 97% in 2004 to 100% in 2011 and enrollment at middle school rose significantly from 76% in 2004 to 98% in 2011. Furthermore, the improved road conditions have enabled local women, particularly those living in remote mountainous areas, to gain access to medical services.
The project had the Ningxia Communications Department as executing agency and the Ningxia Highway Construction Administration Bureau as implementing agency.
