World Bank supports Chinese urban transport
14 June 2010
The World Bank has aproved a US$ 150 million loan to China to improve urban transport and road safety in Taiyuan, the provincial capital of the Shanxi Province.
The US$ 330 million Taiyuan Urban Transport project, of which the outstanding US$ 180 million will be financed through counterpart funding, consists of four main components, including road construction, public transport, traffic safety and management and institutional training and technical support.
Senior transport specialist at the World Bank, Shomik Mendiratta said, "A key goal of this project is to provide a platform of continuous support to the relevant agencies and support them to develop coordinated responses that improve the mobility of the majority of Taiyuan's pedestrians, cyclists and bus users."
The project will see construction of Taihang Road, a new arterial highway connecting key parts of the city. The project also involves the development of a bus priority scheme on Xinjian Street, the construction of bus depots in Nanhan and Beiying and bus terminals in Yingxin, Zoo and Beiyan.
To improve safety, the project will also see the construction of pedestrian pathways, signals and overpasses as well as bicycle facilities and the introduction of traffic signs and markers.
