Rehabilitation work to complete the final section of the Dili to Ainaro road corridor in Timor-Leste has started.

Funded by International Development Association (IDA), the project will upgrade the 22.6km Laulara-Solerema section of the 110km road corridor.

The rehabilitation work, which is part of Timor-Leste Road Climate Resilience Project, is expected to entail an investment of $140.85m.

These roads are expected to have stabilised and reinforced slopes, improved drainage and new pavement to make them resilient to various weather and natural hazards.

The IDA is part of the World Bank and offers concessional finance to aid low-income countries.

World Bank country representative Macmillan Anyanwu said: “This is a very important project in our partnership with Timor-Leste. The Dili-Ainaro road corridor is a major link between the Northern and Southern parts of the country, and one of the most frequently travelled routes in the country.

“The rehabilitation of this road would significantly improve communities’ access to social services, connect farmers to markets, and reduce passengers’ travel time and costs.”

Works are expected to be completed by August 2021.

Last year, the World Bank sanctioned a $133m loan to Nepal for the construction and maintenance of safe, resilient and cost-effective bridges on the country’s Strategic Roads Network.

In 2017, the World Bank approved $150m International Development Association (IDA) credit for Transport Sector Improvement Project (TSIP) in Ghana.