A greater level of upfront efforts in project preparation, particularly in the areas of preparing credible traffic forecasts and identifying road alignments, could pay large dividends. Mitigation measures identified in the RRP to address project risks were largely unsuccessful, and the project was subject to long time delays, problems with land acquisition and procurement, shortfalls in demand, and insufficient funding for maintenance. Despite advance procurement actions, enactment of legislation for maintenance, and establishment of controlled access arrangements for the CPAR, the expected results were not achieved. In part, the problem appears to be attributable to weaknesses in the project design, in which the feasibility study and detailed design were not completed until 9 March 2008, seven years after loan approval. Similarly, credible solutions can be developed upfront before finalization of the loan to address perennial issues such as delays in land acquisition and procurement.
Road Maintenance and Improvement Project