Altai Mountains of Mongolia Image Credit: ID 181506991 © Saltat007 | Dreamstime.com

An Asian Development Bank (ADB)-funded project is optimising the safety for the road connecting Uliastai to Altai in Mongolia, reducing predicted fatal and serious injuries by 51.7% and delivering 4- and 5-star safety outcomes.

The US$158 million Regional Road Development and Maintenance – Phase 3 Project for the Government of Mongolia aims to promote inclusive economic growth by upgrading key sections of the state road network, improving road safety, asset management and the climate resilience of two critical routes – Uliastai-Altai (198 km) and Khovd-Ulaangom (163 km). The improvements are vital in connecting Mongolia’s western aimag capitals to its major east-west corridors linking the country to the People’s Republic of China and the Russian Federation.

As part of the project, Kocks Consult GmbH tasked iRAP with evaluating the safety of the proposed road upgrade design for a 140.8 km section of the Uliastai-Altai route using the iRAP Star Ratings methodology.

The analysis builds on a baseline assessment of the existing road performed in 2023, enabling before and after safety analysis.

The incorporation of iRAP assessment recommendations to the  design showed impressive improvements in road safety:

• Increased safety for vehicle occupants and motorcyclists through road paving and widening, implementation of roadside barriers, improved delineation with advance warning signs and markers installed at significant curves, safer roadside conditions, and effective speed management at critical locations.
• A 51.7% reduction in predicted fatal and serious injuries (FSIs) – preventing an estimated 118 FSIs over 20 years.
• The safety Star Rating increased dramatically. Whilst the existing road is predominantly 1-2 stars (very high risk), 100% of the upgrade design length achieves a 4-star or better safety rating for vehicle occupants (including 83% at the highest 5-star safety rating). For motorcyclists, 96% of the design length achieves a 4-star safety rating, 2.1% achieves a 5-star safety rating, and 2.1% achieves a 3-star safety rating.
• Exceeds the minimum 3-star safety rating required by both the ADB and United Nations’ Global Road Safety Performance Target 3.

Star Rating results: Design versus the existing road (Baseline).  Image credit: iRAP

It is important to ensure that improvements such as lane widening, resurfacing, and paved shoulders do not result in excessive vehicle speeds. In such cases vehicle speeds must be effectively managed in order to minimise risk.

The Uliastai-Altai road upgrade and broader Regional Road Development and Maintenance Project Phase 3 are pivotal for Mongolia’s infrastructure development.

Beyond the road safety gains identified through the iRAP assessment, the wider ADB-supported project is designed to improve all-weather connectivity, road asset management and climate resilience on strategically important corridors in Western Mongolia.

The project is expected to be completed in 2029.

Project location map (blue arrow points to the Uliastai-Altai route where the proposed upgrade design has been assessed for safety). Image credit: ADB

An example of the upgrade road design