The assistance forms the second tranche of $1.2 billion multi-tranche ADB loans for the Second South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC) Dhaka – Northwest Corridor Road Project. At the signing function, Manmohan Parkash said this project was a part of a priority international transport corridor that connects Bangladesh with Bhutan, India, and Nepal. ADB has been supporting Bangladesh in improving the Dhaka-Northwest road corridor since approval of the landmark Jamuna Bridge Project in 1994. The 70-kilometer Joydeypur-Elenga section of the road was improved under the SASEC Road Connectivity Project approved in 2012. Road travel accounts for 70% of all passenger traffic and 60 percent of freight in Bangladesh, as traffic grows at a rate of 8% a year.

Source: Dhaka Tribune March 15, 2020 11:05 UTC