A 10-km Road Benefiting 600,000 Citizens Being Built in Badakhshan

The construction work of a 1-kilomger road in Feyzabad, Badakhshan was officially inaugurated by the governor of Badakhshan together with the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Transport, the Director of Roads Operation and Maintenance Department (ROMD) and provincial officials on Tuesday.

The road will connect Feyzabad City to Lai Aba villages and neighbouring districts. The project is part of the rehabilitation of a 74-kilometre road. Its aim is to connect Feyzabad City and the Yawan District with an ‘all-weather road’ that will benefit about 600,000 citizens. The Afghan-German Cooperation’s Regional Infrastructure Development Fund (RIDF) is supporting the construction with a total amount of around AFN 206 million.

The poor conditions of the existing gravel road between Dashti Qurogh and Lai Aba villages makes travel very difficult and dangerous for vehicles and pedestrians. There are many potholes and no drainage system. Once the construction is completed, travel times to markets, schools and healthcare facilities will be reduced, and routes will be safer. Further, citizens and tourists will have a more comfortable ride reaching Sar-e Jangal, a traditional park in the area to enjoy weekends and public holidays.

Construction works will take an estimated 23 months and involve widening the existing gravel road and adding side ditches to drain rainwater and melted snow. Retaining walls will be built where necessary to prevent risk of road damage and injury as the road is between the Kokcha River and the mountainside.

In addition to road’s construction, RIDF provides on-the-job training, coaching, seminars and mentoring sessions for engineers and managers working at ROMD (formerly known as Public Works Department – PWD). The aim is to develop the department’s capacity to design, construct and maintain rural roads independently in the future to improve overall operation and maintenance.