World Bank approves $80 million project to improve roads in Haiti

The World Bank has approved a new $80 million Haiti Resilient Corridors Project aimed at strengthening rural accessibility and road connectivity in the South and North departments of the country. The project will focus on critical road segments, including National Road 2 (Les Cayes to Port de Saint-Louis du Sud) and Departmental Road 41 (Ouanaminthe toward the Dominican Republic border).

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“The Haiti Resilient Corridors Project aims to support the decentralization of the country’s logistics and supply chain through the development of key road corridors for the national economy,” said Raphael Hosty, Haiti’s Minister of Public Works, Transportation, and Communications. “The initiative seeks to establish suitable, integrated, and well-maintained transport infrastructure to foster territorial development and facilitate connections between populations and essential services such as health, education, and livelihoods.”

Hosty also expressed gratitude to the World Bank for its support in constructing and rehabilitating primary and secondary infrastructure to help revitalize the local economy.

Anne-Lucie Lefebvre, World Bank Country Manager for Haiti, highlighted the vulnerability of the country’s infrastructure to natural hazards and environmental degradation, noting that these factors exacerbate poverty. “Investment in road infrastructure is fundamental to build resilience, generate sustainable jobs and maximize access to basic services,” she said.

Haiti frequently experiences intense rainfall, hurricanes, flooding, landslides, and storm surges, which isolate entire regions, particularly during the rainy season. The World Bank also emphasized that women face heightened risks of harassment, assault, and robbery when public transport and roads are compromised, limiting their access to economic opportunities and essential services.

The project will restore and upgrade key bridges — including La Digue, Côte-de-Fer, and Mahot — and culverts, while improving connecting rural roads to create a more resilient and robust network. It will also strengthen the capacity of the Ministry of Public Works, Transport, and Communications to respond to geological and climate hazards, including replenishing emergency bridge stock.

In highly vulnerable areas such as Nippes, Grand’Anse, and Sud-est, the initiative will rehabilitate and upgrade 100 kilometers of tertiary and rural roads, prioritizing critical spots to enhance transport reliability during the rainy season. Nearly 2.9 million people are expected to benefit from improved access to sustainable transport infrastructure and services.

The World Bank projects that the implementation of the initiative will generate 300,000 days of direct work for the local labor force and promote women’s inclusion in the construction sector by providing training and certification in operating heavy machinery, road construction, and maintenance techniques. The project will also fund capacity building for ministry and construction company staff to ensure long-term sustainability.