A loan worth US$1.2 billion will help pay for road construction works in Bangladesh. The loan is being supplied by the EXIM Bank of China and will provide a significant portion of the funding required for construction of the 35km Dhaka-Ashulia Elevated Expressway.
The project is one of several new raised expressways being built in Bangladesh in a bid to help boost the country’s economy. A new raised expressway in capital Dhaka has helped improve transport around the city, cutting congestion in key areas of the city.
Raised expressways are important for ensuring roads in Bangladesh can cope in the future, reducing their maintenance requirements. The country has suffered heavily from flooding in past years and this problem looks likely to continues as sea levels rise due to global warming.