Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report...(pcu/d) 26,787 37,881 North-south corridor(pcu/d) 11720...

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report

This consultant’s report does not necessarily reflect the views of ADB or the Government concerned, and ADB and the Government cannot be held liable for its contents. (For project preparatory technical assistance: All the views expressed herein may not be incorporated into the proposed project’s design.

Project Number: 47030-001 November 2015

People's Republic of China: Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban Infrastructure Development—Final Report SD3: Engineering Technical Analysis of the Road Component (Financed by the ADB's Technical Assistance Special Fund and Cofinanced by the Multi-Donor Trust Fund under the Water Financing Partnership Facility)

Prepared by

AECOM Asia Company Ltd.

Hong Kong, China

For Pingxiang Municipal Government

Jiangxi Pingxiang Integrated Rural-Urban Infrastructure Development Project

AECOM Asia Company Limited SD3-1 Asian Development Bank

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Introduction ........................................................................................................ 4

1.1 Background ................................................................................................. 4

1.2 Transport Plan ............................................................................................. 5

2. Proposed Road .................................................................................................. 9

2.1 Rationale ..................................................................................................... 9

2.2 Traffic Demand Analysis ............................................................................. 11

2.2.1 Introduction ............................................................................................. 11

2.2.2 Traffic Survey......................................................................................... 12

2.2.3 Traffic Zoning ......................................................................................... 14

2.2.4 Trip Generation ...................................................................................... 15

2.2.5 Traffic Assignment ................................................................................. 16

2.3 Natural Conditions ..................................................................................... 17

2.3.1 Regional Hydrology and Weather .......................................................... 17

2.3.2 Site Stability Assessment ....................................................................... 18

2.4 Design Analysis ......................................................................................... 18

2.4.1 Field Visit ............................................................................................... 18

2.4.2 Classification and Technical Standards .................................................. 19

2.4.3 Road Layout and Alignment ................................................................... 20

2.4.4 Corridor study during Pre-Feasibility Study ............................................ 20

2.4.5 Alignment Alternative Comparisons ....................................................... 21

2.4.6 Road Cross Section ............................................................................... 27

2.4.7 Pavement .............................................................................................. 28

2.4.8 Drainage ................................................................................................ 29

2.4.9 Existing Roads Bisecting Proposed Road .............................................. 30

2.4.10 Sub-grade and Ground Treatment ......................................................... 31

2.4.11 Bridge and Tunnel ................................................................................. 32

2.4.12 Road Safety ........................................................................................... 36

2.4.13 Rural Public Transport ........................................................................... 41

2.4.14 ITS in Traffic Management and Public Transport ................................... 43

2.4.15 Major Work Quantities and Costs .......................................................... 44

3. Key Issues and Next Steps .............................................................................. 45



List of Figures

Figure 1: Pingxiang Municipality ................................................................................ 4

Figure 2: Pingxiang Transport Map ............................................................................ 6

Figure 3: Existing Transport Network in Pingxiang .................................................... 7

Figure 4: Proposed Road .......................................................................................... 9

Figure 5: Black Spots of Accident on Existing Roads............................................... 10

Figure 6: Locations of Schools in the Road Project Area .......................................... 11

Figure 7: Location of Traffic Count ........................................................................... 13

Figure 8: Traffic Zones ............................................................................................ 14

Figure 9: Desire Line Diagram of Projected Daily trips ............................................ 15

Figure 10: Traffic loading on 2020 Road Network .................................................... 17

Figure 11: Traffic loading on 2032 Road Network .................................................... 17

Figure 12: Alignment Alternatives Layout during Pre-FS .......................................... 21

Figure 13: Alignment Alternatives for the Section (K22+100~K30+682) ................... 22

Figure 14: Scheme A—At-grade Intersection .......................................................... 24

Figure 15: Scheme B—Grade-separated Interchange ............................................. 24

Figure 16: Alignment Alternatives for Ending Section at Yinhe and Xuanfeng .......... 26

Figure 17: Proposed Typical Cross Section ............................................................. 27

Figure 18: Proposed Cross Section at Bridge .......................................................... 28

Figure 19: Typical Cross-section of Concrete Small Box Girder ............................... 34

Figure 20: Proposed Dimension Limits of Tunnel .................................................... 35

Figure 21: Open Cut Section of Tunnel.................................................................... 35

Figure 22: PPTA Example Recommendations for Intersection Improvement ........... 37

Figure 23: Examples of Warning Signs .................................................................... 39

List of Tables

Table 1: Project Demand for Car, Passenger and Freight .......................................... 8

Table 2: Location of Traffic Counts .......................................................................... 14

Table 3: Growth Projection ...................................................................................... 16

Table 4: Demand Forecast Results（pcu/d） .......................................................... 16

Table 5: Technical Design Parameters of the Road ................................................. 19

Table 6: Comparison for Road Alignments (K22+100 to K30+682) .......................... 22

Table 7: Comparisons for Work Quantities and Cost ............................................... 23

Table 8: Road Alignment Scheme Bisecting Luxi Expressway Collector .................. 25

Table 9: Comparisons for Work Quantities and Cost Estimates ............................... 25

Table 10: Comparison for Road Alignment Schemes (K38+440 to K43+956) .......... 26

Table 11: Comparison for Work Quantities and Cost Estimates ............................... 27

Table 12: Proposed Road Pavement for Carriageway ............................................. 28

Table 13: Comparison of Types of Drainage Ditch Structure .................................... 29

Table 14: Existing Roads Bisecting the Project Road .............................................. 30

Table 15: Ground Treatment Methods ..................................................................... 32

Table 16: List of Proposed Bridges .......................................................................... 33



Table 17: Road Accident Records ............................................................................ 36

Table 18: New Rural Bus Routes ............................................................................. 41

Table 19: Existing Bus Routes Improvement ........................................................... 42

Table 20: Summary of Work Quantities and Costs................................................... 44

Abbreviations

AC = asphalt cement

CNY = Chinese Yuan

FSR = Feasibility Study Report

ITS = Intelligent Traffic Systems

km = kilometer; km2 = square kilometer

LDI = Local Design Institute

m = meter; m2 = square meter; m3 = cubic meter

mm = millimeter

mu = mu, Chinese unit of land measure

O-D = origin-destination

pcu/d = passenger car unit per day

RUC = Road User Cost

VOC = vehicle operating cost



1. Introduction

1.1 Background

1. Pingxiang, known as “the western gate” of Jiangxi, is located in the west part of

Jiangxi province, along the Hunan-Jiangxi border. It is bordered by Anfu county of

Yuanzhou district in the east and Liling city and You county of Hunan province in the

west, with Yongxin county and Chaling county of Hunan province in the south and the

Wanzai county and Liuyang city of Hunan province in the north. It covers an area of

3,827 km2 which accounts for 2.29% of the total area of Jiangxi province and has a

population of 1.8642 million.

2. In 2010, the municipality achieved a GDP of CNY 52.039 billion CNY with an

annual increase of 14.3%, the per capita net income of farmers also has risen by

13.8%, reaching 7,219 CNY, the per capita disposable income of urban residents

grew by 10.5% to 16,381 CNY.

Figure 1: Pingxiang Municipality

3. Pingxiang Municipality administers three counties, two districts, and one

economic development zone, namely Anyuan district, Xiangdong district, Luxi county,

Shangli county, Lianhua county, and Pingxiang New Economic Development Zone.

Pingxiang’s economy mainstays include coal, iron ore mining, steel-making,

aluminum-making, ceramics industry, chemical engineering, and fireworks industry.

4. Despite the rapid economic growth and urban-rural infrastructure, Pingxiang still

lags behind other areas in Jiangxi Province. There are also wide regional disparities in



both economic development and physical infrastructure provision. The mountainous

and hilly terrain create barriers between local towns and villages and partly contribute

to the backwardness of the economy. The rate of urbanization is about 30%, far below

the national level which 53% in 2012. The rural poor population make up 18.6% of

total population. While the urbanization is expected to accelerate, most of the rural

areas have yet to develop adequate infrastructure and transportation networks.

5. Road is the most widely used transport mode in Pingxiang, and is the enabling

factor in economic development and reduction of poverty. A highway network has

been formed in Pingxiang, however, lower class highways (class III and lower)

account for 80% of the total length of highway. Pingxiang is mountainous and

landlocked, especially in the northeast and south areas. Many of town and county

roads are of low technical standards and suffer from poor maintenance. There are still

some villages in remote area that cannot be reached with paved roads. The highway

network is in need of improvement and upgrading.

1.2 Transport Plan

6. Pingxiang Integrated Transport Plan 2012 is the basis for developing the

proposed project. According to statistics in the plan, total length of all-weather

highway in Pingxiang reached 6,119km in 2010, including one expressway-Hukun

(Shanghai to Kunming) Expressway, 49.8km long; two national roads-G320, G319,

with total length of 203km; provincial roads 406km long; and numerous sub-standard

town and county roads. Expressway accounts for only 0.9%; class I roads (51km)

accounts for 0.8%; Class II road (345km) accounts for 5.3%; Class III road (172km)

accounts for 2.8%; Class IV road (3,783km) accounts for 61.8%; and unclassified

road accounts for 28.1%. Asphalt pavement road (4.2%) are 255km long in total,;

cement pavement road (68.6%) 4192km; there are still many unpaved road (22.4%)

totaled 1,372km.



Figure 2: Pingxiang Transport Map

7. The main corridors in the region are (i) Hukun Expressway; (ii) national roads

G320 and G319; and (iii) provincial roads S314, S231, and S232. Cross-shape trunk

corridors are formed in Pingxiang, consisting of east-west trunk of Hukun Expressway

and S320, and north-south trunk of G319, S231, and S232. East-west corridor runs

through Pingxiang urban area which connects to Nanchang and Yichun, and extends

further east leading to Shanghai and Fujian Province on the east coast. To the west,

it reaches the Chang-Zhu-Tan (Changsha, Zhuzhou, Xiangtan) Region in Hunan

Province, which is an economically active area. North-south corridor links Pingxiang

with Changsha, Liuyang, and further to Wuhan, Zhengzhou to the north; connects to

Ji’an, Ganzhou in Jiangxi and further to Guangzhou, Shenzhen at the Pearl River

Delta region.



Figure 3: Proposed Transport Network in Pingxiang

Source: Pingxiang Municipal Transport Bureau (from the Pingxiang Integrated Transport Plan, 2012)



8. Due to rapid economic growth and improvement of living standards in Pingxiang,

the flow of passengers and goods has been increasing. Trunk roads have been

substantially improved and upgraded, and provisions for secondary and minor roads

are catching up. The east-west corridor has strategic importance for passenger and

freight flows. The transport corridor is transforming into an economic corridor. The

industrial bases of iron, steel, and ceramic have been established along the corridor.

The flow of passenger and goods has been increasing year by year. Similar to

other areas of China, highway and railway are the primary modes for transport in

Pingxiang. Highways carry larger share of freight traffic compared with railway.

In 2010, total volume of passengers on highway reached 57.83 million, annual

increase by 12.3%; volume of goods on highway totaled 82.8 million tones, annual

increase by 26%. The projected traffic demand for the main corridor is presented

in the table below.

Table 1: Project Demand for Car, Passenger and Freight

2015 2020

East-west corridor (pcu/d)

26,787 37,881

North-south corridor(pcu/d)

11720 23060

Highway passenger volume (0,000)

6380 8200

Highway freight volume (0,000 ton)

9370 11500

Note: pcu/d = passenger car unit per day

1.3 Proposed Road

9. The proposed road is a secondary highway in the network plan. It is located in the

northeast of Pingxiang, in a mountainous and landlocked area. It is aligned northwest

to southeast direction, cutting through the rolling hills, mostly on new alignment. The

proposed road will complement the existing highway network, which basically consists

of an east-west and a north-south highway.



Figure 4: Proposed Road

10. The road would start from Jiguanshan in Shangli County in the northwest, end at

Xuanfeng Town of Luxi County in the southeast. It will connect Shangli county and

Luxi county directly and fill in a missing link between the areas. The project has been

listed in the “Pingxiang Integrated Transport Plan 2012”. It will serve an important role

in the overall rural transport network.

2. Proposed Road

2.1 Rationale

11. The existing county and township roads are generally in northeast-southwest

direction, following the mountain ranges. These roads are narrow and wandering,

width from 3 to 6m, and generally in poor conditions. Due to lack of maintenance, the

roads are severely deteriorated in many locations and in need of repair. In addition,

these roads were designed using low technical standards, have sharp curves and

steep slopes. These have imposed incidence to road accidents and a great number

serious accidents are reported each year1. Traffic safety for passenger and freight is

under high risk. Figure 5 shows locations where accidents often occur. The proposed

road would be designed with higher standards and safety issues fully considered. It

will provide a faster and safer link for the locals.

1 PPTA requested data from PMO and from design institute to support this statement. Year,

number of accidents, number of fatalities, and if available monetary damage. Not available.



Figure 5: Black Spots of Accident on Existing Roads

LEGEND： Proposed Road alignment

Accident Black Spot

Existing Road alignment

12. Considerations have been given to improving the existing county roads rather

than build a new road. However, many villages and activities have developed along

the existing roads creating numerous constraints of right-of-way due to complexity of

local conditions. Improving the existing roads is an option but it will cause a lot of

resettlement making it more costly than building a new route2. The project road is

intended to provide an alternative route for the locals. The existing roads remains to

serve local access within the village.

13. The project will improve the level of local public services. To improve farmers’

living conditions, the primary task is to strengthen the road network and improve the

travel conditions in rural areas. To improve the accessibility and mobility is to provide

better access for local medical treatment, employment, and education.

14. Currently there are a large number of local primary and secondary schools in this

area. Due to difficult terrains and substandard roads, parents and children have great

difficulties to reach schools, especially during rainy season. The proposed road will

improve the conditions and provide all-weather accesses for e.g. school, market, and

hospital.

2 Similar to footnote #1, PPTA has requested data to support this statement.



Figure 6: Locations of Schools in the Road Project Area

LEGEND： Proposed Road alignment School

15. The project would satisfy the needs of improving the capacity of regional disaster

prevention and relief. The project area belongs to a typical mountainous and hilly

terrain in northwest Jiangxi Province. The complex geological conditions have made it

prone to natural disasters such as landslide, mudslide, and ground subsidence.

Currently, the project area lacks emergency access. Large-size vehicles cannot reach

disaster stricken areas. The project will ease the delay of rescue; safety of people’s

lives would be improved; and property losses substantially reduced.

2.2 Traffic Demand Analysis

2.2.1 Introduction

16. Traffic demand analysis was performed as part of the Feasibility Study Report

(FSR) by the Local Design Institute (LDI) on the basis of available traffic count and

planning data. In the November 2014 version of FSR, a travel demand model was

not established. Instead, an over-simplified forecast method---“indirect method”---was

adopted. PPTA requested LDI to do a ‘four-step’ forecast, which is the norm for

demand forecast for this type of highway.

17. Traffic count survey was undertaken at three critical locations under the guidance

of the PPTA Consultant. Due to the tight project schedule, insufficiency of local data,

and limited budget, a simplified model was set up. Traffic counts were surveyed on

major highways. In order to identify trip diversion and induction, an origin-destination

(O-D) trip survey will need to be carried out..



18. The ‘four-step method’ is a standard for most proposals for road upgrades,

bypasses, etc. that do not justify a full transport model. It is often sufficient to assess

existing traffic and then make adjustments that reflect the fall in road user costs

(RUCs) that the upgrade will bring about (one such adjustment is so-called generated

traffic) on the assumption that wider traffic impacts will not be significant. An

intermediate stage is to carry out an OD survey, which takes care of the trip

generation and trip distribution stage. The survey results answer this kind of question:

what is the passenger vehicle demand between Shangli center to Xuanfeng town?

Assigning this flow to the network means identifying the route with the lowest

perceived RUC. And, subject to capacity constraints, assuming this is the route the

traffic will take. OD survey results are important whenever traffic diversion is expected

to form a significant part of benefits.

19. A traffic count is a count of traffic along a particular road, either done

electronically or by people counting by the side of the road. Traffic counts can be used

to identify which routes are used most, and to either improve that road or provide an

alternative if there is excessive amount of traffic. Traffic counts survey is essential for

analyze diversion assumption and see whether the road is justified or not. A set of one

day (data over 12 hours is sufficient) traffic counts is required at a number of critical

sites.

2.2.2 Traffic Survey

20. Traffic count data has been collected for major relevant highways-G319, G320,

and other county roads. According to the data provided by Pingxiang Transport

Bureau, in 2010, AADT (annual average daily traffic) at Futian Station of G319 is

8,034 vehicle/day (absolute number of vehicles). This is converted to 6,241

passenger car units per day (pcu/day,) growing at 14.8% annual rate. AADT at

Wupixia Station of G319 is 11,054 vehicle/day (absolute number of vehicle). This is

converted to 8,823 pcu/day, annual rate of growth is 7.1%. AADT at Luxi Station of

G320 is 13,550 vehicle/day (absolute no. of vehicle). This is converted to 10,331

pcu/day, growing at an annual rate of 14.8%.

21. National roads G319 and G320 are dual one-lane, Class II highway, 8m

carriageway width, design speed of 40km/hour. Capacity of a Class II highway ranges

from 5000- to 15000 AADT. As can be observed, traffic load on G319 and G320 are

on their high side and congestion is prevalent during peak hours. And these roads

currently carry relatively large volume of truck and lorry traffic. This has caused severe

damage to pavement and incidences of road accidents. The proposed road is

expected to divert part of the traffic from the national roads after open to traffic.

22. Traffic counts were carried out in October 2014 at selected road segments for 12

hours including morning and evening peak hours. Four counts plus one existing count

(Luxi) were selected on G319, G320, and other local roads. See Figure 7.



Figure 7: Location of Traffic Count



Table 2: Location of Traffic Counts

No. Location Road Toll Segment

1 Lishuihe Bridge G319 no Pingxiang to Shangli Section of

G319

2 Intersection of Dongyuan

-Xiaojian

S313 no Dongyuan - Xiaojian

3 Chishan Power Supply Station X121 no Dongyuan - Chishan

4 G319 bisects G320 G319 &

G320

no G319 bisects G320

5 G320 Luxi Station G320 no Luxi County

23. The traffic counts results indicate that the largest share of traffic on national and

provincial roads are motorcycles, followed by cars and light trucks. Heavy truck and

lorry vehicles comprise only a small part of the traffic volume. This shows that

urban-rural trips are largely completed on motorcycles and cars. Freight transport

mainly relies on light trucks, which are led by low-level of rural economy. As a result of

improved road conditions and advanced and intensive farming, there is likely to be a

shift from motorcycle to cars, and small truck to lorry. These trends will need to be

taken into account for modeling the demand.

2.2.3 Traffic Zoning

24. As presented in Figure 8, a total of 15 traffic zones were identified and trip

generation and attraction among the zones are forecasted.

Figure 8: Traffic Zones



2.2.4 Trip Generation

25. According to the traffic counts and turning movement observed, the base year

origin-destination (O-D) matrix is developed; and future years’ O-D matrix are

calculated based on assumptions of growth factors such as GDP and increase in

number of motor-vehicles.

26. Total trips made among the zones are estimated at 44,803 per day. It is made up

with internal trips of 9,857 per day; outbound trips of 32,706 per day, through trips of

2,240 per day. It shows that number of internal and through trips is relatively low.

Outbound trips dominate the daily local trips. It indicates that the backward economy

and weak infrastructure has resulted in currently less internal people and goods flows.

Most of the interactions and exchanges are made with urban centers in the periphery.

27. With the provision of the project road, the situation will be improved. The internal

links will be strengthened. It would see an increase of interaction among local rural

villages and towns, and a growth of number of internal trips. As the process of trip

distribution,

28. Figure 9 indicates the daily desire line diagram of each of the zone pairs.

Figure 9: Desire Line Diagram of Projected Daily trips

29. Trip demand is correlated with economic growth and automobile growth etc.

Future traffic growth and average GDP growth rate are assumed as below. These

assumptions are considered adequate for this type of highway.



Table 3: Growth Projection

Time Period (years) Domestic GDP

Growth Rate Traffic Growth Rate

2017 - 2020 13% 11.0%

2021 - 2025 11.5% 7.5%

2026 - 2032 8.5% 4.7%

2.2.5 Traffic Assignment

30. In this simplified demand model, the vehicular trip matrices were developed

based on the defined modal share and trip generation and distribution models. The

vehicular matrices were assigned onto the road network such that the predicted traffic

volumes on the project road can be obtained. The traffic demand forecast results are

presented in the Table below.

Table 4: Demand Forecast Results（pcu/d）

Road Section 2017 2020 2025 2032

Guanxia-Xiaojian 6479 6735 7436 8542

Xiaojian-Dongyuan 5582 5804 6407 7360

Dongyuan-Chishan

X121 8742 9089 10035 11527

Chishan X121-Chishan

x123 7969 8285 9147 10523

Chishan

X123-Gaokeng X155 6713 6979 7706 9493

Gaokeng

X155-Tongxing Road 9199 9563 9995 11161

Tongxing Road-Yinhe

X160 5406 5620 5647 6171

Yinhe X160-Xuanfeng

G320 2849 2962 3276 3783

Source: Feasibility Study Report pcu/d = passenger car units per day

31. After the trip distribution, traffic flow will be assigned to future road network in the

project area. The figures below present flow volumes in bandwidth for typical planning

horizons.



Figure 10: Traffic loading on 2020 Road Network

Figure 11: Traffic loading on 2032 Road Network

2.3 Natural Conditions

2.3.1 Regional Hydrology and Weather

32. The project area is in the upstream reaches of the Pingshui River and the middle

basin of Yuanshui River. The proposed road is routed across the Pingshui River

tributaries in Shapo and overpasses Yuanshui River at the Yinhe Town. The water

flow of Pingshui River is gentle and the Yuanshui River rough with abundant water

flow. The rest are small streams collecting water from the hills. The riverbed gradient

is gentle; the water flow is sluggish and clear. The area is classified as subtropical

humid monsoon climate.



33. Areas in this region have sufficient sunshine, abundant rainfall, long frost-free

period. The annual average temperature is 17.2 ℃, ranging from the 38 ℃ to 40 ℃ as

the extreme highest temperature; lowest temperature reaches to -8.6 ℃ as the

extreme. The average annual precipitation is 1630mm, mostly concentrated in March

to June. The maximum annual precipitation is 2,083mm (rainfall of 255.6mm daily)

and the accumulative sunshine hours throughout the year are 1600 hours.

34. The dominant wind blows primarily from northeast to the southwest wind. The

average wind speed in a year could reach to 1.6m/s, there are 270 days that are in the

frost-free period, in which only 4-5 days snows annually. The maximum depth of

accumulated snows are 21 centimeters (cm).

2.3.2 Site Stability Assessment

35. For earthquakes, Pingxiang lies in a relatively stable area. According to the data

provided by the seismic monitoring departments, the region has not had an

earthquake greater than 4 magnitude in nearly two thousand years. The largest

earthquake occurring in recent history was 3.0 magnitude in 1910. The characteristics

of the base rock layer in this area are weak and highly plastic. It lacks the conditions

that cause earthquake. High plasticity, weak deformation of fracture easily releases

energy, thus hardly developing a damaging earthquake. Therefore, judging from the

geological conditions, neo-tectonic movement, and the earthquake history, the region

is not prone to earthquake, and seismic activity would be of low frequency and low

intensity.

36. The site presents a typical hilly area in southern China, dominated with

mountainous and hilly terrain. The survey data indicate that the site is featured with

complex situation with mainly small locally developed fractures. The proposed road

runs along the developed small folds. The anticline and syncline appear alternately,

causing the formation of Permian and Triassic constantly repeated or defaulted.

These may not be favorable to civil works and geological hazardous may occur.

Therefore, measures would need to be taken to ensure the site stability.

2.4 Design Analysis

2.4.1 Field Visit

37. On September 23 and 24, 2014 the PPTA engineers conducted field visits

together with the LDI and local officials. Sites visited included Yangqi Village (the start

point), proposed tunnel entrance, Xiaojian Village, Dongyuan Township, Chishan

Town in Shangli County; Expressway Connector S229, Gaokeng Town, Yinhe Town

(the end point in Luxi County). Some sites could not be accessed by vehicles.

38. The engineers observed the surroundings and site conditions by walking. The

area is generally sparsely populated with rural settlements relying mainly on farming.



Hilly terrains are the barriers that impede communications and flow of people of goods

among the villages.

39. Most of the roads are wandering and narrow with cement concrete surface that

has deteriorated due to lack of maintenance. Villagers have no other access to urban

center and neighboring villages besides these low class county roads.

40. The proposed alignment would cut through farmlands at some villages. Farmland

is very limited in the mountainous area. It is a trade-off for the road aligning close to

human settlement or further along the hills. At the beginning section, existing roads

are severely damaged by truck traffic from/to nearby quarry. At the end section in

Yinhe Town, a railway underpass is the only access for the township, and because it is

an underpass it is often flooded during rainy season. Locals are deeply troubled. They

expressed their concerns during public consultation.

2.4.2 Classification and Technical Standards

41. Technical Design Parameters have been selected in accordance with relevant

national codes and design specifications.

Table 5: Technical Design Parameters of the Road

No. Parameter Unit Criteria

1 Total Length km 43.956

2 Route length/straight-line

distance

- 1.477

3 The Average Turning Point

Per Kilometer - 1.840

4 Minimum Radius For

Horizontal Curve m/section 130/1

5 Total Length of Horizontal

Curve m 22735.846

7 Percentage of Horizontal

Curve In Total Length % 51.657

8 Maximum Linear Length m/section 1125.447/1

9 Maximum Longitudinal

Grade

% 6

sections 11

10 Minimum Slope Length m/section 220/1

11 Total Length of Vertical

Curve m 19533.217

12 Percentage of Vertical

Curve In Total Length % 38.771

13 Average Number of

Vertical Slope Change － 2.155



No. Parameter Unit Criteria

Per Kilometer

14 Minimum Radius of

Vertical Curve (Convex) m/sections 1500/3

15 Minimum Radius of

Vertical Curve (Concave) m/sections 1500/3

Source: FSR km = kilometer; m = meter; % = percent

2.4.3 Road Layout and Alignment

42. According to the LDI, during preparation of the FSR, township and county

governments were fully consulted. The project aims to improve the local accessibility

and mobility to locals and to maximize the benefits to various stakeholders.

Considerations are given to current local conditions and local economic development

plan, land use plan, etc. The alignment is designed to follow the principle ‘close to

social and economic activities but distance itself to local settlements’. A balanced

route in conjunction with cost, resettlement, social and economic benefits shall be

achieved. The proposed road is routed passing through four township government

seats, connects Gaokeng, Anyuan, and Luxi Town, Luxi Industrial Park, Shangli

Industrial Park etc. It is aligned along valley, ridge and low-lying hillside to follow the

landform, and avoid farmland and houses as much as possible.

2.4.4 Corridor study during Pre-Feasibility Study

43. During pre-feasibility study, two routes were proposed and carefully examined, as

shown in Figure 12 with the South route in blue and the North route in red.

44. South route is preferred for the reasons that it connects the more developed

Gaokeng Town (located in Anyuan District) and Luxi Town with less developed

villages and towns; it is well- positioned in the highway network; and local

employment and market activities can be better facilitated. Flow of farm produces,

mineral and other materials can be greatly facilitated. This alignment has been

reviewed and approved by local authorities during the panel review in March 2014.



Figure 12: Alignment Alternatives Layout during Pre-FS

45. The proposed alignment starts from G319, towards Jiguanshan Village and

Donyuan Village in Shangli County, the route runs a ridge line in middle of Dongyuan

County and valley line in Chishan Town. It goes through the East Industrial Park in

Chishan Town. Then it runs parallel to Hu-kun Expressway in Gaokeng Town,

following a valley line it enters to Yuannan Village. In association with the Plan of Luxi

Industrial Park in Yuannan, the road is routed along the edge of the Industrial Park. It

cut through Yinhe Town, connects to the Agriculture Industrial Park. It overpasses

Yuanshui River, entering Xuanfeng Town and ends at G320. Total length of the

proposed road is 43.956km, including valley line 26.37km, ridge line 1.2km, hillside

line 9.632km, and over passing ridge line 3.82km, 2.93km using existing road.

2.4.5 Alignment Alternative Comparisons

46. During FSR preparation, further alternative comparisons were conducted for the

road alignment regarding the aspects of planning, engineering works, costs, land

acquisition and resettlement, and environmental impact.

a. Section Overpass Hu-kun Expressway (K22+100~K30+682)

47. For the section overpass Hu-kun Expressway (K22+100~K30+682), two routes

were analyzed: i) Route A connects through Chishan Town center and Yuannan

Village and its industrial Zone. Alignment is smooth with higher technical standards,

but resettlement may be higher. And ii) Route B is aligned along the hillside and



valley, further from town settlements, alignment is poor and engineering cost is higher.

Route A is recommended for the reasons that it is better integrated into the local road

network, can be better utilized and benefit to local accesses. Details are presented in

Table below.

Figure 13: Alignment Alternatives for the Section (K22+100~K30+682)

Table 6: Comparison for Road Alignments (K22+100 to K30+682)

Alternative A (recommended) Alternative B

Alignment routing Connect through Chishan Town and

Yuannan Village and its industrial

Zone. Alignment is smooth.

Aligned on hillside, deep

valley. Poor alignment.

Planning

perspective

Aligned along town and villages,

better access for locals. Also provide

access for Chishan and Yuannan

industrial parks.

Cannot be better integrated

into local road network.

Land acquisition

and resettlement

Some farmland need to be acquired,

number of buildings need to be

removed.

Less resettlement. But much

higher engineering cost.

Environmental

impact

Less earthworks, less disruption to

natural environment.

Extensive cuts and fills on

hillside, highest to 45m.

Severe disruption to mountain

and vegetation.




Beneficiary Routed through towns and villages, Much less beneficiaries

Table 7: Comparisons for Work Quantities and Cost

Indicator Unit Alternative A Alternative B

1 Total length Km 8.585 8.873

2 min. horizontal curve radius m 200 200

3 No. of turning points

18 16

4 Horizontal curve/total length % 56.965 51.661

5 Land acquisition Mu 154.53 160.44

6 Housing resettlement m2 3655.3 856

7 Earthwork fill 0,000 m2 73.9 57.8

8 Earthwork cut 0,000 m2 103.5 193.5

9 Pavement 1000 ㎡ 71.6 75.4

10 Bridge 座 2 1

11 Culvert 道 25 19

12 Intersection 处 16 20

13 Cost estimates 0,000 Yuan 7,792 12,079

b. The Section Bisecting Hu-kun (Shanghai to Kunming) Expressway

Collector (K30+830)

48. The proposed road would bisect the expressway collector at K30+830. A

comparison has been made between Scheme A (at-grade intersection) and Scheme

B (grade-separated interchange) proposed road over-passing the collector road. (See

Figure 14 and Figure 15). The collector is the only access for Luxi County to Hu-kun

Expressway, the major artery for long-distance passenger and freight transport. The

collector road is designed at a speed of 80km/h, current traffic volume is moderate.

Both schemes would satisfy immediate traffic demand. In consideration of increasing

traffic flow both on the collector road and proposed highway and safety issues,

Scheme B the interchange was recommended in the draft FSR. The Consultant

recommended to do more traffic analysis, as it may be difficult to justify the

construction of an interchange, given the interchange would take more land and

engineering cost is high.

49. During the ADB mission in December 2014, the two options were carefully

reviewed. Scheme B-the grade-separated interchange would not be economically

viable given its high cost and relatively low traffic demand anticipated. Scheme A (the



at-grade junction) is recommended. Safety at the junction can be improved with

proper traffic calming measures. At the next stage of design, safety concerns for the

junction shall be appropriately addressed.

Figure 14: Scheme A—At-grade Intersection

[accepted]

Figure 15: Scheme B—Grade-separated Interchange

[not accepted]



Table 8: Road Alignment Scheme Bisecting Luxi Expressway Collector

Scheme A (recommended) Scheme B

Figure 14 Figure 15

Traffic demand The collector is the only access for

Luxi to Hu-kun Expressway, future

traffic demand will be high

Full interchange

Land acquisition Less land taken More land taken

Engineering

At-grade intersection

Engineering cost is low. But may not

be able to meet traffic demand, and

may have traffic safety problem.

Grade-separated

interchange. Engineering

cost is very high. Better

meet traffic demand.

Table 9: Comparisons for Work Quantities and Cost Estimates

Indicator Unit

Scheme A (At-grade

intersection) recommended

Scheme B

(Interchange)

1 Length Km 0.562 /

2 Land acquisition mu 10.1 144.7

3 Housing resettlement M2 / /

4 Earthwork fill 0,000 m2 1.4 5.2

5 Earthwork cut 0,000 m2 2.8 6.7

6 pavement Km2 4.78 13.7

7 Bridge 座 / 1

8 Culvert 道 3 1

9 Cost estimates 0,000

Yuan 402.6 1143.8

CNY = Chinese Yuan; km = kilometer; m = meter; m2 = square meter; mu = land area

Source: FSR

c. The Section at the Ending Point

50. Two alignment alternatives were studied for the section near the ending point at

Yinhe and Xuanfeng Town.

i) Route A would use existing roads running through Yinhe and Xuanfeng Town;

ii) Route B is aligned along hillside and valley and provides a bypass for through traffic

for the two towns.

Route A has the advantage that locals can easily access the road and there is less

intrusion into the natural environment. More locals would benefit from the road and it

would promote local economic activities. But it may cause some housing resettlement



and the technical standards of road alignment may be at the low side. Route B would

have less beneficiaries, take more farmland, and require more earthwork cut and fill.

Scheme. Thus Scheme A is recommended despite having a slightly higher cost.

51. The recommended route A has been designed at the end section to avoid the

frequently inundated railway underpass. After overcrossing the Yuan River, the

proposed alignment underpasses the high speed railway and overpasses the

Zhe-Gan Railway before joining G320 in the end. The proposed structures resulted in

higher engineering costs (see Table 11).

Figure 16: Alignment Alternatives for Ending Section at Yinhe and Xuanfeng

Table 10: Comparison for Road Alignment Schemes (K38+440 to K43+956)


Alignment routing Using some section of existing

road. Difficult to improve existing

poor alignment.

New route, higher standard

of alignment.

Land acquisition and

resettlement

Number of buildings need to be

removed.

More farm lands taken.

Cost estimates Higher engineering costs. Lower engineering costs.

Traffic demand Routed through town centers,

which are populated. May not be

able to cope with increasing traffic

flow.

New route can complement

the old road. Better meet

future traffic demand.

Structure overpass

Yuanshui River

The alignment formed a sharp

angle with the river, lead to poor

alignment at the end of bridge.

Smooth alignment at the

bridge.



Table 11: Comparison for Work Quantities and Cost Estimates

Indicator Unit Scheme A Scheme B

1 Length km 5.574 5.434

2 Min. Horizontal Curve Radius m 130 250

3 No. of Turning points number 12 9

4 Horizontal Curve/total Length % 44.375 57.859

5 Land Acquisition mu 99.3 97.8

6 House Resettlement m2 42.7 548

7 Earthwork Fill 0,000 m2 8.48 13

8 Earthwork Cut 0,000 m2 17.9 38.7

9 Pavement km2 46.1 45.2

10 Bridge number 1 1

11 Culvert number 15 12

12 Intersection number 5 8

13 Cost estimates 0,000 CNY 5715 4671.2

CNY = Chinese Yuan; km = kilometer; m = meter; m2 = square meter; mu = Chinese measure of land

area

Source: FSR

2.4.6 Road Cross Section

52. Cross section is designed with class II highway features. The proposed road

cross section is dual one-lane, total width of 10m. The carriageway width is 2x3.5m;

hard shoulder width 2x0.75m; earth shoulder width 2x0.75m. Side ditches will be

provided for drainage. This configuration is considered adequate for this type of

highway.

Figure 17: Proposed Typical Cross Section



Figure 18: Proposed Cross Section at Bridge

2.4.7 Pavement

53. Asphalt concrete surface is adopted for pavement design because it is relatively

easy to apply and repair and has lower level of traffic noise compared with rigid

cement concrete. For pavement surface, a comparison was made among SMA (stone

mustic asphalt), AC (asphalt concrete), and Superpave. AC was selected because it

is widely used in China for lower class roads and its cost is relatively low.

54. A comparison was made for sub-course of the pavement between cement

stabilized gravel and lime fly-ash gravel. Cement stabilized gravel is recommended

because its early strength and water-resistance ability are relatively high. But it has

disadvantages of relatively high cost and low capacity to resist cracking. In

consideration of anticipated truck traffic load, adequate thickness and strength of

sub-course material is crucial for pavement design. Table 12 shows the proposed

pavement structure for the carriageway. The proposed pavement structure is

generally adequate in meeting the projected traffic loading. However, AC-20 as a

sub-surface would be more compatible with AC-13 than AC-16 given the variations of

asphalt particular diameter. Particular attention needs to be drawn to account for the

high precipitation in the area to avoid pavement surface soaking. Appropriate drain

will need to be provided.

Table 12: Proposed Road Pavement for Carriageway

Pavement

Type Structure

Thickness

(cm) Remarks

Carriageway

Fine-graded asphalt concrete (AC-13) 4 Spread tack coat oil

Medium-graded asphalt concrete

(AC-16) 6 Spread tack coat oil

Cement stabilized gravel 36 Spread prime coat

oil

Cement and lime stabilized sand and 20



Pavement

Type Structure

Thickness

(cm) Remarks

gravel

Total 66

2.4.8 Drainage

55. Roadside open ditches are typically proposed with gravitational flow and

discharge into nearby river or water bodies. In designing the drainage system, a

number of factors including hydrological and geological conditions, sub-grade height,

underground water table and cost are considered. Open earth ditches would apply for

most sections of the road because it has low cost, is easy to build and to maintain.

Where the road passes through towns and villages with build-up area and intense

pedestrian activity, then concrete slab covered ditch is proposed to take less space

taken and provide for pedestrian safety. This is compatible with the features of Class II

road and local conditions. A comparison is made for different types of structure for

drains as shown in table below.

Table 13: Comparison of Types of Drainage Ditch Structure

Type Earth ditch Mortar

rubble stone

trapezoid

ditch

Pre-cast

concrete

trapezoid

ditch

Concrete slab

cover

rectangular

ditch

Storm water

relief capacity

Weak Strong Strong Relatively strong

Dimension 0.4x0.4m

plane-shape

0.4x0.4m

slope 1:1

trapezoid

0.4x0.4m

slope 1:1

trapezoid

0.4x0.4m

rectangular

Cost

(thousand

Yuan/km)

22.9 183.4 113.8 383

Advantage Natural, easy to

build, low cost

Roughness

factor is low

Roughness

factor is low,

easy and fast

to fabricate.

Roughness factor

is low, can resist

traffic load.

Disadvantage Roughness factor

is high, impede

water flow

High cost Need pre-cast

site, relatively

high cost

Need pre-cast

site, high cost

Suitability Suitable for typical embankment section Suitable for town

and village area

Recommended Alternative Alternative Recommended



2.4.9 Existing Roads Bisecting Proposed Road

56. A number of existing provincial and county roads would bisect proposed road.

Their features and current conditions are presented in Table below.

Table 14: Existing Roads Bisecting the Project Road

No. Name Chainage Class Width Status

1 G319

starting

point

K0+000

II 8m pavement

width (8.5m of

sub-grade

width)

Asphalt concrete pavement,

good condition after overhaul in

2011

2 X154 K0+300 III 6m pavement

(7m of

sub-grade)

Cement concrete pavement with

pavement damage rate of 30%.

The road upgrading to asphalt is

under preparation, and be

constructed by the end of 2014

by Shangli County Government.

3 S313

K12+610 III 6m pavement

(7m of

sub-grade)

Cement concrete pavement,

good condition

4 X121 K16+900 IV 5m pavement

(6m of

sub-grade)


very bad condition, most

pavement damaged. The

upgrading to Class III is under

design, and will start

construction by the end of 2014.

5 X123 K20+800 II 7m pavement

(8.5m of

sub-grade)


good condition after upgrading

to Class II in 2010

6 S229 K30+830

and

K32+920

I 2*11.5m 23m

of sub-grade)


good condition after upgrading

to Class I in 2010

7 X162 K36+710 III 6.5m (7.5m of

sub-grade)

Concrete pavement, good

condition after upgrading to

Class III in 2011

8 X160 K39+800 IV 5m pavement

(6m of

sub-grade)


good condition

9 G320 Ending

point

K44+010

II 9m pavement

(12m of

sub-grade)


good condition

10 Other IV Cement concrete pavement,



No. Name Chainage Class Width Status

rural

roads

mostly relatively good condition, not

very busy, less truck traffic.

2.4.10 Sub-grade and Ground Treatment

57. The project area is dominated by gentle hills and farmland. Road embankment

slope is designed at 1:1.5. For the cut section, the slope gradient is designed at 1:1.

For embankments that are higher than 8 meter and 2 meter wide an apron will be built

and geo-textile will be laid down to ensure stability. The embankment slope will

generally be covered by grass. For sections where the embankment is higher than 2

meters, hollow bricks and other similar types of hard surface will be laid to allow for

vegetation and strengthen slope stability.

58. In the FSR, ground treatment measures are proposed according to different

ground conditions. As presented in the Table below, e.g. where ground surface is

dominated with cultivated soil, topsoil will need to be removed and backfilled with

earth. Where sludge and mud dominate, the ground will need to be dredged and

backfilled with crushed stone or sand and gravel, preloading and geo-textile would be

considered where necessary. Where ground water level is high and soft and damp

section is deep, piling will need to be implemented for bridge and other structure.

Costs were estimated in the FSR according to methods proposed based on limited

ground information. During the next stage of the design, further detailed geological

information for each of the weak sections should be analyzed to ensure that a proper

ground treatment design is taken into account.



Table 15: Ground Treatment Methods

Alternatives Descriptions Features Suitability Unit Cost Estimates

Pre- loading

Fill (without treatment)

Use soil natural drainage channel, and loading pressure to force consolidation

Simple construction with long construction period. Equal(over) preloading earth needs secondary transportation

construction period is not urgent, sub-grade is stable, a little settlement, and good drainage layer

CNY 40/m3

Equal load Over loading

Replacing And Filling Earth

Substitute Simple construction with low cost

surface soft soil is less than 3m thick, such as dredging backfill

General soil:CNY 25/m3 Lime soil: CNY 30/m3 Gravel soil: CNY 35/m3

Loading Berm Increase friction torque, prevent embankment sliding failure

Simple construction, low cost but with more land taken

not enough stability of embankment, together with other treatment measures

CNY 32/m3

Embank- ment

Light weight material

Use light materials in order to reduce weight and settlement and increase stability

Construction is a little complex with a few resources alongside and higher cost

Fly ash is commonly used. Settlement is not obvious, but exceeds standard.

Fly ash: CNY 65/m3

Rein- forced

By tensile properties of geo-synthetics and embedded and occlusal function between soil particles to increase subgrade’s stability, reduce differential settlement

Simple construction Suitable for embankment stability is not weak, large settlement section. implement together with other treatment measures

Geo-textile grid:CNY 18/m2

Composite Ground Treatment

Powder mixing pile/wet jetting pile

Mixing machine fully mixes cement powder and soil to form composite foundation with interaction between pile and soil and reduce settlement.

Construction is complex with high cost

Suitable for soft soil foundation treatment with high moisture content for bridge and small structure. Pile diameter is generally 50cm. It can effectively reduce foundation settlement, reinforce final strength, and maximum reinforcement depth up to 10-15m (not suitable for those more than 15m).

CNY 40/m

Compact- ed gravel (sand) pile

Through the gravel (sand) compaction and drainage effect of pile to form composite foundation with pile-soil interaction

Construction is complex with high cost

Treatment of liquefied soil foundation of bridge. Needs test pile. It may have significant adverse environment impacts

Gravel (sand) pile: CNY 55(45)/m

2.4.11 Bridge and Tunnel

59. A total of 6 bridges consisting of 2 large-sized bridges and 4 medium-sized

bridges are proposed as part of the road project. At the request of the Consultant,

geological survey was undertaken in January 2015, however the survey results have



not been incorporated into the latest FSR. The initial assessment indicates that there

may be adverse geological conditions, e.g., landslides, karst caves, and mountain

torrents. The results show karst may be encountered at the location of tunnel. Proper

measures shall be proposed after detailed survey. Particular attention shall be paid for

draining and shoring and support during construction.

Table 16: List of Proposed Bridges

Location River

(channel)

Angle

(o)

length Span Width Area

Upper Structure

Sub-Structure

（m） n×L

（m）（m）（㎡） pier abutment Foundation

11+480 Existing

channel 0 18.86 1x13 10 188.6

Precast Fabricated

concrete slab girder column Ribbed slab Bored pile

18+235 Existing

channel -30 45.86 2x20 10 458.6

Precast Fabricated


21+760 Existing

channel 0 25.86 1x20 10 258.6

Precast Fabricated


22+900 Existing

channel 0 125.86 4x30 10 1258.6

Precast Fabricated

concrete small box

girder

column Ribbed slab Bored pile

25+030 Hu-Kun

Expressway 35 45.86 2x20 10 458.6

Precast Fabricated


43+264.5

Yuan River

(underpass

high speed

railway and

overpass

Zhe-Gan

Railway)

30 690.86

7x30+7

x25+5x

30+5x3

0

10 6908.6

Precast Fabricated

concrete small box

girder

column Ribbed slab Bored pile

Total 953.16 8273

60. Two large-sized bridges are proposed for the road crossing: (a) an existing

channel and (b) Yuan River (underpass high speed railway and overpass Zhe-Gan

Railway as well) with span of 4x30m and 7x30+7x25+5x30+5x30 respectively. The

supper structure is precast fabricated small box girder, sub-structure is columnar pier

and foundation is cast-in-situ bored pile. Based on practice of similar projects, the

proposed bridge form is considered appropriate. The cross section layout is shown

below.



Figure 19: Typical Cross-section of Concrete Small Box Girder

61. A tunnel is proposed at K1+091-K1+573, named Taohua Tunnel. The length of

the tunnel is 482m. A single tube is proposed with internal dimensions: Height-5.0m;

Width- 10m = 0.75m maintenance walk+ 8.5m driveway+0.75m maintenance walk.

62. The surrounding grade III-V rock is suitable for construction of tunnel. The site is

relatively stable, with no earthquake or landslide reported.



Figure 20: Proposed Dimension Limits of Tunnel

Figure 21: Open Cut Section of Tunnel



2.4.12 Road Safety

63. Considering the appalling safety situation on rural highways in China, road safety

concerns shall be appropriately addressed during detailed design. At the stage of

feasibility study, only typical and standard safety designs have been provided. A road

safety audit is recommended during preliminary design during next stage to ensure

higher safety standards applied to project road including incorporating international

best practices. Road accident data were requested by the Consultant, however in the

absence of an official accident database, no detailed and reliable data are available.

An approximate record for Shangli, Anyuan, and Luxi for the past ten years was

provided by the Transport Bureau as presented in the table below.

Table 17: Road Accident Records

Year Fatality Injured Property loss

(0,000 Yuan)

2013 2 101 10

2012 4 108 9

2011 1 90 4

2010 1 42 9

2009 Nil. 70 6

2008 1 102 8

2007 2 91 10

2006 2 80 6.8

2005 1 103 6

2004 Nil. 41 2

2003 Nil. 39 1.2

64. The proposed road would bisect a large number of county and village roads.

Where a lower standard road joins a higher standard road, travel speed is significantly

different, so safety concerns should be addressed. Those intersections will need to

be carefully treated. Safety perceptions for Class II highway would help to identify

constraints and to help guide and tailor the potential solutions. Figure below is an

example of PPTA Consultant recommendations on intersection treatment

improvement.



Figure 22: PPTA Example Recommendations for Intersection Improvement

(1) Reduce the radius in order to reduce turning movement speed;

(2) Increase the size of refugee island;

(3) Traffic yielding sign to alert driver yield to traffic on primary road;

(4) Traffic calming strip to alert driver approaching intersection.

65. Marking and signage shall be provided properly to warn/remind of road users. The figure below shows examples of warning signs that fit the circumstances of the proposed road.

66. Following the ADB mission held in March 2015, LDI improved design and updated drawings of intersection treatment by following ADB and PPTA consultant’s suggestions. The typical intersection design drawings are shown as below. These shall serve as paradigms for next stage design with regards to road safety aspects.



Figure 23: Example of Intersection Improvement (1)

Figure 23: Example of Intersection Improvement (2)



Figure 23: Examples of Warning Signs

67. Key road safety issues for the project road are outlined below:

Speed and truck overloading are common and severe on rural highways.

Enforcement measures shall be strengthened in coping with the problems.

Also, public campaign shall be organized to raise public awareness on

aspects of road safety.

Traffic calming measures shall be taken at junctions, particularly where

speeds vary from slow to fast.

Where the project road joins a primary (higher standard) road, safety

elements e.g. safe crossing, speed alert sign, channelization, refuge island

shall be fully considered.

Where the road vertical gradient is steep or/and sharp turn exists, speed

control measures will have to be considered, especially for the road segment

near industrial parks where truck and lorry traffic prevalent.

Sufficient pedestrian crossings and warning signs shall be established where

schools or other anticipated high pedestrian flow exist.

Light provision or reflective sign/marking shall be considered at road junctions



to alert travelers in evening.



2.4.13 Rural Public Transport

68. The project road is intended to help spread the benefits of improved accessibility

by expanding the availability and improving the efficiency and affordability of rural bus

services. Currently, members of the average village household hardly ever travel

beyond the nearest township center, and the poor travel even less. Many rely on

informal services that are much more expensive. Village roads are in poor condition

and sometimes impassable.

69. Formal passenger services in rural areas are mostly by mini-buses. They are

licensed to stop only at designated places and terminals. But there is a lack of

terminals, even simple stops. Generally bus services are good along the routes

between county and town centers, but do not exist between villages and are rare

between villages and townships.

70. Requested by the TA Consultant, Pingxiang Transport Bureau has made an initial

bus route plan, adding/improving bus routes by taking into consideration of the

proposed road. As presented in the tables below, five new bus routes would be added,

and four bus routes would be improved.

Table 18: New Rural Bus Routes

No. Terminates Routing Daily

turnaround

1

杨岐--万龙山

Yangqi-Wanlongs

han

关下、东源、赤山、高坑、芦溪、万龙山

Guanxia,Dongyuan,Chishan,Gaokeng,Luxi,Wan

longshan

4

2

杨岐--武功山

Yangqi-Wugongs

han

东源、赤山、高坑、芦溪、万龙山、武功山

Dongyuan,

Chishan,Gaokeng,Luxi,Wanlongshan,

Wugongshan

4

3

上栗--宣风

Shangli-

Xuanfeng

上栗镇、杨岐、东源、赤山、高坑、源南、银河、

宣风

Shangli Town, Yangqi, Dongyuan,

Chishan,Gaokeng,Yuannan, Yinhe, Xuanfeng

8

4 上栗--源南

Shangli- Yuannan

上栗镇、杨岐、东源、赤山、高坑、源南


Chishan,Gaokeng,Yuannan,

4

5

源南--宣风

Yuannan-

Xuanfeng

源南、银河、宣风

Yuannan, Yinhe, Xuanfeng 4



Table 19: Existing Bus Routes Improvement

No. Terminates Routing Daily

turnaround

1 上栗--芦溪

Shangli-Luxi

上栗镇、杨岐、东源、赤山、高坑、源南、

芦溪


Chishan, Gaokeng, Yuannan, Luxi

4

2 上栗--赤山

Shangli-Chishan

上栗镇、杨岐、东源、赤山


Chishan

4

3 萍乡--小枧

Pingxiang-Xiaojian

萍乡、赤山、东源、小枧

Pingxiang, Chishan, Dongyuan, Xiaojian 4

71. As requested by ADB mission, the DI provided a map of proposed bus stops

presented with existing schools, villages and county and village roads. However, the

proposed locations of bus stops are only indicative and have not been consulted with

transport bureau. Bus stops shall be located at near school, hospital, town center and

road junctions where trips are expected more often, in other words, responding to

local needs. For next step, the plan shall be refined correlated with overall public

transport plan based on thorough public consultations.

72. For next stage, more investigation shall be done to better understand local needs.

And the plan will need to be further elaborated in a holistic manner. It is recommended

to provide more bus stations, improve amenity at terminals and change route

licensing. Some flexibility should be allowed in issuing regional rather than fixed-route

licenses and permitting variations from assigned routes. These would benefit

passengers through time savings resulting from more frequent and reliable services;



increased travel in response to lower transport costs and travel times. The

combination of bus stations, improved passenger services, trade-facilitating measures

e.g. shall be considered. The proposed road would help provide an integrated

response to the needs of the relatively poor communities in the project area.

2.4.14 ITS in Traffic Management and Public Transport

73. The scope of the proposed Intelligent Transport System (ITS) component will

need to be defined. An ITS TA may be proposed to review current conditions and

constraints of the project area, suggest a suitable ITS component for ADB financing

through identifying more appropriate ITS strategy and design, and provide innovative

idea, management approach and technology to effectively contribute to the designed

project impact an outcome. The ITS component should comprise two systems for

traffic management and public transport management. The potential ITS component

consists of i) establish an accountable ICT system for bus operator and traffic police; ii)

violation processing system to strengthen traffic enforcement; iii) set up real-time

traffic information and a unified traffic database to provide better data service; iv)

introduce the systems to bus service network and service planning; iii) rationalize rural

bus routing, dispatching, and scheduling based on actual passenger demand and

travel pattern; iv) transmit real-time information about bus locations to passengers

and bus operators etc.

ITS TA would be undertaken through literature review, field study and interview with

local government, traffic police and rural bus operators etc. to identify existing

problems and proposed interventions. An initial assessment Identified main tasks for

short-term include smooth traffic order, preventative measures to be taken to traffic

violations and accidents on the proposed highway as well as strengthening of public

transport serving capacity. For a medium and long term, solutions shall be sought to

deal with traffic congestion along with traffic growth and energy conservation etc.

74. Given the backward economy in Pingxiang rural area, low level of management

for traffic control and bus services are anticipated. It is observed that traditional Traffic

Police management methods are inefficient and involve a great deal of manpower

with little assistance of information technologies. Thus, traffic police cannot make

rapid responses to traffic violation and accidents and effectively manage traffic flow.

And it may be difficult for traffic police to obtain real-time traffic condition information,

especially in rural area. On public transport management, manual dispatching is still

adopted which can hardly meet the demand of passenger services. Passengers have

limited access to travel information. It is difficult for passenger to know bus arrival time,

route adjustment and other timely information during travel. Long waits at bus stops

often bring complaints, which have negative impact to rural bus service image.

75. A typical traffic police management system comprises of an operation center;

signal control system; video surveillance system; electronic police system; dynamic



violation monitoring and recording system. The current traffic management system

under Pingxiang Traffic Police Brigade may need to be upgraded by integrating traffic

operation platform to achieve comprehensive traffic management and control. An

integrated traffic database shall be established to better serve the public and to

support emergency responses. Traffic enforcement will need to be strengthened

through better processing system.

76. The institutional structure of the local rural bus operators and their type of

operating system utilized are not clear. A typical public transport management system

include bus operator control center; IC card system; GPS positioning system;

on-board bus stop announcement system; scheduling and dispatching system. As the

core of public transport ITS, the integrated operation and information platform can

achieve automatic data collection through on-board GPS of the status of driver,

vehicle, stops, depots and road conditions. Transport information dissemination

devices include WEB, Electronic Bus board, VMS (vehicle monitoring &management

system), mobile WAP, call center. These technologies have been implemented in

many cities in China. The best practices shall be studied and adapted to actual needs

in rural area. Phased plan shall be made in response to level of economy and social

development. In sum, the initial assessment would provide thoughts and outlines for

future development in this area.

2.4.15 Major Work Quantities and Costs

77. Civil work quantities and costs for the recommended scheme in the FSR are

provided in the table below. The estimates are generally in accordance with domestic

feasibility study preparation requirements. Unit prices are reviewed and compared

with those for other projects and market prices. The overall estimates are considered

adequate.

Table 20: Summary of Work Quantities and Costs

Item Unit

1 Class

Class II Highway

2 Sub-grade width m 10

3 Length km 43.956

4 Land acquisition mu 791.2

5 building

demolition m2 12731.8

6 Weak Ground treatment km 13.1

7 Sub-grade earthwork

Earthwork fill 0,000 m3 1,734



Item Unit

Earthwork cut 0,000 m3 3,697

8 Weak ground treatment km 13.1

9 Pavement 1000 m2 361.729

10 Bridge & culvert

Large Bridge m/座 816.72/2

Medium and small bridge m/座 136.44/4

culvert 道 124

11 At-grade intersection 处 42

12 Cost estimates 0,000 CNY 50898.4

13 Cost/km 0,000 CNY 1157.94

CNY = Chinese Yuan; km = kilometer; m = meter; m2 = square meter; mu = Chinese measure of land

area

Source: FSR

3. Key Issues and Next Steps

78. The engineering design at this stage is considered adequate and the level of

details are sufficient and in line with domestic FSR preparation guidelines. The FSR

has undergone several rounds of revisions and updating by incorporating the

comments from local government, ADB, and PPTA Consultants.

79. The DI submitted updated road FSR on 15 January. The amended FSR includes

the updated alignment and cost estimates, layout plan of soil disposal sites etc. The

rationale for this proposed road is strengthened with a relatively elaborated demand

forecast. However, a few points especially road safety and rural public transport will

need to be addressed.

80. The key issues identified at this stage are summarized as follows:

Geological Survey. Requested by the PPTA Consultant, an initial geological survey has been undertaken for the tunnel (480m) and bridge (690m) to investigate any adverse geological conditions and its impact on cost estimates. The Pingxiang Municipal Transport Bureau engaged a professional entity to do the survey in December 2014. Survey results were provided to the Design Institute but not in sufficient time to incorporate into the January 2015 FSR. DI should prepare a memo summarizing the impacts of the Geological Study on the bridges and tunnels and these impacts can be handled during Preliminary Engineering Design.

Entrance at Yangqi Mountain Scenic Area. The proposed alignment at the northern beginning of the road would use part of a new existing road (200m long), which leads to the scenic area. The issue of an entrance gate to the scenic area is under discussion between the Pingxiang PMO and the Yangqi Scenic Area Management Committee. A Loan Covenant will require agreement before preliminary design.



Railway overpass at Yinhe Town (Km43+160 - Km43+840). In the original design, before joining G320, the proposed road will take an existing railway underpass at Yinhe Town. However, this tunnel is the only access road for Yinhe Town and the tunnel is prone to flooding every year during rainy seasons. Local authority of Yinhe Town is keen to have an alternative route for local access. The alternative was studied for an elevated (total length of 690m) bridge all the way over-passing Yuan River, under-passing High Speed Rail and over-passing Zhe-Gan Railway. Other possible routes were studied but discarded for the reasons of heavy resettlement required or the difficult levels when crossing the railway. Elevated bridge would be costly but still a better option in the opinion of the PPTA Consultant.

Intersection treatment. Intersection design in the FSR is provided only for major intersections. However the proposed road would bisect a large number of county and village roads. Where a low standard road joins a higher standard road, travel speed is significantly different, safety concerns should be addressed, and traffic calming measures shall be taken in the design at the next stage. Those intersections will need to be carefully planned during preliminary design.

Soil disposal site. The proposed road will require a large amount of earthwork cut and fill. After balancing cut and fill, there will be surplus of soil, which requires disposal sites. The DI selected some sites along the proposed route. These sites will need to be confirmed with the county local authorities during detailed design.

Road safety. There are no detailed safety design provisions in the FSR. Given the mixed traffic in rural area, motorcycle and electric-bike travels are prevalent. Road accidents occur very often and particularly on rural class II road, making the conditions severe. A road safety audit3 on preliminary design is recommended. This may be considered a condition for loan disbursement for the road and included as a loan covenant in the Project Agreement. A public campaign on road safety in the project area is included in the Social Development Action Plan.

Public transport. Public transport in rural area is important in terms of improving local accessibility. As a green transport project, rural bus services shall be promoted in innovative ways to attract more locals to take buses. The FSR has not given much consideration to public transport. The Consultant requested a public transport plan during the December 2014 ADB mission. The Transport Bureau provided an initial bus route improvement plan for the project area. Further work will need to be done during next stage of design to come up with a more elaborated action plan.

===end of report===

3 2004. PRC Ministry of Transport “Safety Assessment Manual for Highway Projects” guides

the use of safety audits. The manual recommends safety audits, but does not make it

mandatory.

Technical Assistance Consultant’s Report...(pcu/d) 26,787 37,881 North-south corridor(pcu/d) 11720...

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