CDB protecting region’s road networks

THE high incidence of damage to the road infrastructure of Caribbean countries due to natural hazard events and the potential threat for roads to be lost by rising sea levels has not escaped the consideration of the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB).

 

The bank has approved funding for a technical assistance project, to fund a study on approaches for mainstreaming climate resilience into the road transport sector in its Borrowing Member Countries (BMCs).

 

The Caribbean Development Bank pointed out that annually, transport infrastructure in the Caribbean, and particularly road infrastructure, suffers substantial damage as a result of natural hazard events, with flooding being among the most frequent and costly of events. 

 

In addition, it outlined the threat to road transport infrastructure is heightened by the projected effects of Climate Variability and Climate Change, particularly increased intensity of rain storms, sea level rise, and increased ambient temperatures.

 

The Bank is therefore providing US$768 000 for the project, which will develop and pilot approaches for constructing road infrastructure that is resilient to natural hazards and climate change. The study will be done in two countries, which will be selected on the basis of geography and risk profiles that would allow for the outputs of the study to be transferable to other countries.

 

CDB’s Director of Projects, Daniel Best, noted that most of the road agencies across the Bank’s BMCs have not mainstreamed changes in their approaches or requirements for the design, construction and management of road infrastructure that enhance resilience to the threats from natural hazards and climate change.

 

“This is, in part, due to the limited availability of tools tailored for their particular use, as well as the limited data and capacity within the responsible agencies with regard to the assessment of the vulnerability of infrastructure to climate risks and the determination of appropriate response strategies,” Best noted.

 

“The differential impacts on women and men, youth, the ageing population and persons with disabilities arising from the vulnerability of road infrastructure have also not been adequately considered across the BMCs. Issues of inclusivity and gender must be integrated into the operation of the road transport sector, in infrastructure and in road transport services,” Best continued.

 

The project is being implemented under the African Caribbean Pacific-European Union-Caribbean Development Bank Natural Disaster Risk Management in CARIFORUM Countries programme. It aligns to CDB’s corporate priorities of strengthening and modernising social and economic infrastructure, and promoting environmental sustainability.