The Asian Development Bank (ADB), Shaanxi Provincial Transport Department, the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP), and the China Road Assessment Program (ChinaRAP) at the Research Institute of Highway (RIOH) are honoured to announce the life-saving Shaanxi Mountain Road Safety Demonstration Project has received a prestigious Prince Michael International Road Safety Award yesterday in London.

The Shaanxi Mountain Road Safety Demonstration Project has achieved remarkable road safety outcomes, with infrastructure upgrades on 850km of trunk and rural roads resulting in a 33% reduction in fatalities and a 53% decrease in injuries, saving an estimated 32 lives and 868 injuries annually.

The percentage of the assessed roads meeting the global safety standard of 3-stars or better increased by 52%.

Infrastructure improvements included road realignments, extensive rock-fall protection and slope stability measures, the addition of paved shoulders, safety barriers, reduced speed limits, traffic calming measures, and pedestrian crossings.

Additionally, over 200 professionals participated in road safety design and management training, while 2,400 community members took part in safety education activities.

Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards are presented to organisations in recognition of their outstanding contribution to improving road safety.

In awarding the Shaanxi Project, Prince Michael recognised the success of the Project and iRAP programme as it has developed across the world and the outstanding contribution they are making to achievement of the aims of The Decade of Action.

Rebecca Stapleton, Senior Transport Specialist at the ADB said, “We are delighted to see the project recognised with a Prince Michael Award today. The Shaanxi Provincial Government requested ADB financing support to upgrade trunk and rural roads to improve road safety, increase access and reduce poverty. We’re really proud of the significant safety impact it has had for the local communities in Shaanxi and the replicable model it sets for other provinces and countries.”

Greg Smith, Global Programme Director of iRAP, noted, “A key feature of the Shaanxi project is its primary focus on safety as part of this large-scale infrastructure investment. For the first time in China, road designers were able to apply the iRAP methodology to forecast the real-world safety implications of their design decisions; to optimise safety in the investment before the commencement of civil works, and measure impact post-construction.”

Wu Shisheng, Director General of Shaanxi Provincial Highway Bureau said, “The Shaanxi project exemplifies our commitment to prioritizing safety in the development of road infrastructure, particularly within the mountainous region of southern Shaanxi. We recognize that safe roads are essential not only for reducing traffic accidents and fatalities but also for promoting economic growth and social inclusivity. By incorporating international best practices in road safety and climate adaptation measures, we significantly enhanced the safety of both trunk and rural roads in the project area. We take particular pride in the fact that this project serves as a model for others to emulate. It is the perfect embodiment of safety in large-scale infrastructure, bringing tangible improvements to the road users’ safety and life quality.”

Zhang Tiejun of the ChinaRAP team at the Research Institute of Highway (RIOH), said, “This project used more scientific methods to enhance safety throughout its entire lifecycle, from design to future operation. Through capacity building, the awareness of safety designers was enhanced and solutions were implemented.”

For more information:

• On the project, see the Completion Report here and video here
• On the Prince Michael International Road Safety Awards, visit https://www.roadsafetyawards.com/