• Reference: P-SL-D00-004
• Approval date: 17/06/2009
• Start date: 03/03/2011
• Appraisal Date: 24/11/2008
• Status: OngoingOnGo
• Implementing Agency: SIERRA LEONE ROADS AUTHORITY
• Location: SIERRA LEONE

The project consists of:

i) Construction Works for the upgrading of gravel surfaced road to bituminous standard, with an Asphalt Concrete (AC) wearing course. The road geometry (typical) comprises a 7.10 m wide carriageway and 1.5 m shoulders on either side, for the entire project road length from Port Loko to Lungi (62 km). The pavement consists of: 150mm Natural Gravel Subbase, 150mm crushed stone base and a 50mm Asphalt Concrete wearing course.

The civil works also include the rehabilitation of 6.5 km of township roads in Lungi: Rotifunk to Tintafor/ Old Lungi Town (5.2 km) Talebu Junction to Hospital (1.3 km)

The gravelling of 30km of feeder roads

Construction of four village markets (12m x 18m) including stalls and toilets.

Construction of six drying slabs (12m x 15m) for use by local scale farmers.

ii) Consultancy Services for supervision of Port Loko-Lungi road upgrading works.

iii) Consultancy Services for Monitoring and Evaluation of project impacts.

iv) Consultancy Services for Audit.

The project also includes sensitisation activities on gender, environment, road safety, malaria and HIV/AIDS.

The overarching goal of the project is to contribute to the post-war rehabilitation of basic road network in order to promote socio-economic development, regional integration and poverty reduction efforts. The specific project objective is to connect, using a paved road, Port Loko and the rest of north and east of Sierra Leone with the airport city of Lungi; and to connect airport city with Freetown, the economic and political capital of Sierra Leone. The road is also part of regional network connecting Liberia and Guinea and will also promote regional integration.

The upgrading of the 62km Port Loko - Lungi road from gravel to bitumen standard will contribute to socio-economic development and poverty reduction efforts of the country through an improved transportation system. The project road links the towns of Port Loko and Lungi and forms part of Sierra Leone's section of the Trans-West-African Coastal Highway, linking with Guinea and Liberia. The road also plays an important role in linking small towns, villages, and scattered communities along the route and fulfils a vital role in transporting goods locally and maintaining social ties. The road also provides the main road (land) link between the capital Freetown and the International Airport in Lungi.

Several alternative pavement design options and maintenance strategies for Double Bituminous Surface Treatment (DBST), high standard gravel road, were evaluated by the feasibility study and the design review consultants. Subsequently, a Double Bituminous Surface Treatment (DBST) was selected as the most technically sound and cost-effective pavement option in an area that is highly susceptible to heavy rainfall. Subsequently, following new Government policy the surfacing was changed to Asphalt Concrete (AC).

The proposed road alignment generally follows the existing one with some realignments and improvements to the horizontal curves and the vertical profile to accommodate the design speed of 80 km/h, and to meet road safety requirements. It was designed in accordance with the Sierra Leone Design Manual (SLRDM). . The cross-sectional characteristics are a 7.1 carriageway with shoulder widths of 1.5 m.

From the environmental standpoint, the project is classified as a category 1. In compliance with Bank environmental policy requirements and of those of Sierra Leone, an Environmental and Social Impact Assessments (ESIA), was carried out in 2006.

The project road will provide better accessibility to the production centers, markets and tourist sites, as well as to the social facilities such as education and health centers (one hospital at Port Loko, one hospital in Lungi Township and two health centres in the Loko Massama Chiefdom).

The project shall also provide a greatly improved land connection from Freetown to the airport that is located in Lungi.

The main beneficiaries of the project will be women and children who constitute a bigger proportion of the population, resulting in a stronger social fabric. 54.2 % of the sample household members are females, whilst males account for only 45.8%. About 41% of the members in the households fall under 17. About 33 % of the household members are youths (18-35 years) while only 26 % are over 35 years.

The summarised economic benefits are:

1Reduced Vehicle operating costs (VOCs) on the project road. 2 Reduced travel time on the project road. 3Increased traffic levels. 4Increased use of road for airport transfers and corresponding reduced use of other modes across the water body (typically ferry).

MALINGA Richard - OITC1

Finance source	Amount
Government	UAC 600,000
Co-financier	UAC 26,260,000
Total	UAC 26,860,000