The Asian Development Bank (ADB) will help develop an efficient, safe and reliable road transport system to promote sustainable economic growth in the southern part of Gansu province in China through a loan of 300 million U.S. dollars, an ADB report said on Wednesday.

The project will construct a 134-kilometer expressway from Wudu to Guanzigou and upgrade 357 kilometers of associated rural roads, said the report.

It will also construct 200 town bus stations, pilot-test a road transport action plan in Longnan, and provide training and consulting services to strengthen the capacity of local transport authorities.

The project expressway is expected to benefit about 4.6 million people by reducing travel time between Wudu and Guanzigou by 136 kilometers or 5-7 hours, and allowing rural households to access a wider economy and social services through improved rural roads, said the report.

The road transport network in southern Gansu needs to be improved to ease access to essential services and to link this poor, isolated region to economic growth centers," said Xiaohong Yang, an ADB Senior Financial Analysis Specialist.

Gansu province is one of the poorest areas in China, ranking 30th among 31 administrative areas. Remote and isolated with harsh natural conditions, the project area suffers from inadequate road infrastructure, which is a major cause of the high incidence of poverty, said the report.

More than half of the towns do not have all-weather roads, and about a fourth of the villages have no road access at all. The existing national highway that links to Sichuan province is in poor condition, and no rail lines or other non-road transport modes are available.