- The US$ 300 million loan will support the State’s program of road rehabilitation
- Enhanced environmental and disaster risk management capacity also envisioned
WASHINGTON, June 17th, 2013 – The World Bank Board of Directors has approved a US$300 million loan as part of the São Paulo State Sustainable Transport Project. The program will contribute to improve logistics and transport safety, while enhancing capacity in environmental and disaster risk management,in the State, Brazil’s industrial center and most populous, with 40 million people.
"This is a state geographically very extensive, with more than 258,000 km ². Given that, it is necessary to strengthen this partnership in order to invest more in transport and logistics system. And that means more decentralized development, spread across different regions, and more security to prevent environmental disasters and road accidents, which are now the leading cause of mortality in the world”, said the State of São Paulo governor, Geraldo Alckmin.
While São Paulo’s transport infrastructure is among the best in Brazil, it requires continuous investment to foster Brazil’s competitiveness. The Project will support the State’s efforts to foster multimodality and increase efficiency in the management of the transport system, notably with improved planning and the introduction of performance based contracts in road maintenance.
The project will contribute also to enhanced road safety and help the State operationalize its recent law on climate change and its international commitments to the Climate Change agenda. Improving disaster risk management is expected to benefit many people in the State, notably the poorest segment of the population.
“São Paulo has continuously pursued innovative solutions to overcome its infrastructure bottlenecks, often becoming a model to other regions of Brazil,” said Deborah L. Wetzel, World Bank director for Brazil. “This project will show that it is feasible to enhance competitiveness and support the environment by connecting transport logistics with road safety, climate change and disaster risk management.”.
Among concrete activities supported by this are:
- Restoration and upgrading of existing transport networks.
- Improvement of the transport planning, multimodality, green transport and road safety.
- Improved land use planning and territorial management.
- Improved environmental enforcement and environmental quality monitoring.
- Modernization of the environmental system.
- Mainstreaming disaster risk management in the transport sector,
- Enhancing disaster risk management policy and institutional capacity.
This loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) to the State of São Paulo is guaranteed by the Federative Republic of Brazil and has a final maturity of 30 years, with a five year grace period.
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