On November 12th, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced that it had approved a financing package of over USD 50 million (loan + grant) to help upgrade 152 kilometers of roads in 4 rural townships of Ayeyawady and Magway Regions.

Featuring raised paved surface, to avoid flooding, and durable climate-resilient material, the upgrade will directly impact over 150 villages, cutting travel time considerably. The project is expected to be completed by 2025.

According to the ADB, Myanmar has one of the lowest rates of rural road access in Asia. 4 million people in Myanmar are not connected by road, and 10 million more are connected by roads that are not passable during the rainy season. Only about 6% of the country’s 95,000 km rural road network is considered paved.