The Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Friday approved a $320 million loan to support the rehabilitation of roads in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and enhance their safety.

A press release issued by the ADB today said, “The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Rural Roads Development Project will upgrade around 900 kilometres of rural roads in the province that are susceptible to floods and are in poor condition.

“These cover key routes that link remote communities to education, health care, and markets,” the statement read, adding that the project included “measures to incorporate climate-resilient design, road safety enhancement, and sustainable maintenance practices”.

“Road transport is both a lifeline to the people and a key component of socioeconomic development in Pakistan,” ADB Director General for Central and West Asia Yevgeniy Zhukov said.

The official highlighted that the project will “reduce travel time, lower transportation costs, and increase access to economic opportunities for millions of residents” in KP.

“By providing better access to markets and services, we are empowering local communities and driving inclusive economic growth in one of Pakistan’s most underserved regions,” Zhukov said.

Furthermore, the project will “offer technical and financial support to assist the government in preparing long-term targeted interventions that will enhance the climate resilience and sustainability of the province’s road network”, the press release said.

According to ADB, the lack of resilient infrastructure in KP has “escalated the impact of disasters on people and livelihoods”.

ADB Senior Transport Specialist Seunghyun Kim said that the Bank “will help the government conduct a comprehensive study on flood susceptibility, with a focus on landslide vulnerability across the province, to identify priority roads”.

“We will support the government in preparing concessional contracts for the operation and maintenance of two tourism roads, which will contribute to the sustainability of the road network,” he said.

Since 1966, ADB has committed over $52 billion to finance “inclusive economic growth in Pakistan and improve the country’s infrastructure, energy and food security, transport networks, and social services”.