Haiti will improve the efficiency and safety of its road transportation system and advance regional integration with a $50 million grant from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The overall objective of the program is to make road transport in Haiti more efficient in order to foster economic activity, while facilitating regional and international integration and economic development.

The specific objectives of the project include the rehabilitation, improvement and two-year maintenance of 22.7 kilometers of the Ennery-Plaisance road section on Route Nationale 1 (RN-1); enhanced road safety conditions along the road reducing the risk of accidents involving both vehicles and pedestrians; paving of main streets in small communities and the institutional strengthening of the transport sector. The project also includes a road safety baseline and communication campaign on road safety for RN1.

Haiti has a road network of 3,500 kilometers, of which approximately 15 percent are in good conditions. Road transport is the leading mode of transportation for cargo and passengers in Haiti, making the improvement of the road infrastructure a fundamental mechanism for economic development and for enhanced integration of the country’s regions.In addition to integrating different departments, the corridor plays a very important role in international trade as it connects the two international seaports with the major cities and productive regions in the country. 

Because this segment of RN1 is located in a mountainous region, the geography of the road presents factors that increase the risk of accidents. Special attention will be given to road safety measures such as widening of shoulders, straightening of curves and the installation of guardrails as well as providing specific structures to protect pedestrians, including walkways, speed bumps and special road signs in urban areas. A road safety campaign will be designed and implemented to promote road safety awareness and teach safe road behaviors to the local population.

The financing consists of a $50 million grant from the IDB Grant Facility with a disbursement period of five years.