China

Ratings for the Second Anhui Highway Project for China were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was moderate, the Bank performance... Show More + was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was highly satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: there is a need for improving traffic forecasting and related economic analysis for expressways. As China's road network increases in complexity and provides a range of alternative routes for travelling between two points, traffic forecast also becomes increasingly complex and subject to a higher degree of uncertainty than in the past. The forecast is especially difficult in the case of expressways whose main traffic is likely to be long-distance, since this requires a broader network analysis and is further complicated by competing expressways whose expected completion time is normally not known at the time of project appraisal. Rural road components in China highway project often use the change in gross domestic product (GDP), before and after the rural road improvements in the areas where the roads are located, as an indicator of the impact of such investments. A more appropriate way to assess the impact of such improvement would involve measuring the reduction of poverty in similar socioeconomic areas as a counterfactual, instead of, or in addition to, comparing poverty levels before and after the improvements. Still, the projects need to find a proper balance in the selection of indicators between simplicity on the one hand, and capacity to reflect the effect of interventions on outcomes on the other. Many safety improvements were identified and implemented during the construction of the expressway and the rural roads. Effective road safety improvements during implementation appears to be learned from the two main factors: (i) there are normally not sufficient details provided in the engineering drawings, and (ii) decent technical knowledge is still required to ensure that road can achieve the maximum safety despite the recent major progress in the understanding of road safety issues among professional staff. This lesson suggests that the engineering documents should be modified to ensure that all safety measures are clearly described and listed in such documents, and that continuous training is required on road safety design. Show Less -

Ratings for the Guangxi Highway Project for China were as follows: outcomes were satisfactory, the risk to development outcome was low or negligible, Bank performance... Show More + was satisfactory, and the Borrower performance was satisfactory. Some lessons learned included: site investigations should be comprehensive and detailed to minimize inconsistencies between construction drawings and field conditions. Contract variations would have been minimized if designs and technical specifications had been subjected to closer and more rigorous examination and review. Planning and design of interchanges and administrative and maintenance facilities warranted careful consideration before contracts were awarded. Close supervision by the supervising consultants focused on carefully selected sites in the field paid dividends in terms of ensuring quality and timely completion of work. The cash deposit of 2 percent of contract sum required of contractors ensured that environmental safeguard measures contained in civil works contracts will be carefully executed. Technical studies providing assistance and solutions to specific problems encountered in project implementation were well received and appreciated by the implementing entity. Show Less -