Lessons from ADB Transport Projects

Moving Goods, Connecting People, and Disseminating Knowledge

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• Publisher: Asian Development Bank
• Year: 2017
• Print ISBN: 9789292578596
• eBook ISBN: 9789292578602
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Transportation Industry
• Index: Business

From in-country to cross-country connections, whether by land, air, or water, transport is a key ingredient that enables nations to achieve economic and social development goals. The Asian Development Bank has been working with developing member countries to improve roads, airports, waterways, and other transport infrastructures to provide people with better access to economic opportunities, public services, domestic and international markets. This publication shares 20 case stories bearing practical knowledge and lessons for transport projects across Asia and the Pacific region under different socioeconomic and political situations.

1 WATERWAYS

Lester Ledesma | ADB Photo Library.

Lester Ledesma | ADB Photo Library.

THE RIVER MORE TRAVELED:
NAVIGABLE INLAND WATERWAY IN THE PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

In the past decades, investments in Inland waterway transport (IWT) infrastructure lagged behind road and rail construction in the the People’s Republic of China.

The country is now prioritizing investment in its IWT network in recognition of its important role in the country’s transport system.

To enhance IWT, ADB helped finance the construction of a navigation–cum–hydropower complex in Hunan province, inland ports in two cities, and landing stations in remote rural areas; and provided associated institutional strengthening.

This initiative, ADB’s first IWT project, will be completed by 2017. It will improve access to markets, reduce road and freight transport congestion, and cut down GHG emissions and pollution.

CONTEXT

Inland waterway transport (IWT) can be an efficient, cost-effective, and environmental-friendly option to move people and bulk commodities over long distances. By transporting people and goods over navigable rivers and canals, IWT reduces road and rail congestion, road crashes, pollution, emissions, and energy consumption.

The People’s Republic of China (PRC) has long appreciated the importance of IWT. It has the world’s largest IWT network, both in terms of length and freight volume. However, investments for the maintenance and modernization of IWT infrastructure have been overtaken by investments for highways and rail. Many ports are outdated, with no specialized berths and modern handling equipment.¹

This has kept IWT in the PRC from reaching its full potential. However, in recent years, the PRC has given renewed priority investment in IWT, recognizing it as an essential part of its transport system.²

The province of Hunan, which has one of the biggest IWT networks in the country, has been deeply involved in the PRC’s efforts to improve IWT infrastructure. Hunan is a landlocked province with around 68.4 million residents. The Xiang River, one of the largest tributaries of the Yangtze River in the PRC, flows through six cities in the province. 773 kilometers (km) of its total length of 969 kilometers pass through Hunan, making it the province’s biggest river (footnote 1). It forms part of an intricate IWT network in the PRC, which has over 11,495 kilometers of waterways, 107 ports, and 1,880 berths.

Hunan’s IWT infrastructure needed vast improvement. Only 6% of its waterways and berths can accommodate vessels with a carrying capacity of 1,000 tons. The limited depth of the river and its long rocky shoals have prevented safe year-round access by larger vessels. Traffic growth is also constrained by obsolete and insufficient infrastructure and loading facilities in the river’s ports. In 2009, the network carried only 10% of the overall freight transported in the province in terms of ton-kilometers.

PROJECT SNAPSHOT

People’s Republic of China:
Hunan Xiangjiang Inland
Waterway Transport Project

Approval date:

DECEMBER 2012

Amount:

$150 MILLION LOAN

Borrower:

GOVERNMENT OF THE

PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Executing agency:

HUNAN PROVINCIAL DEPARTMENT OF

TRANSPORT

Geographical location:

HUNAN, XIANGJIANG, PEOPLE’S

REPUBLIC OF CHINA

Transport project:

WATER

Completion date:

2017

Planned arrangement of the navigatoin complex. Source: ADB Project Team.

To address these constraints, the PRC prepared the Xiang River Network Master Plan, which emphasizes IWT infrastructure development. Hunan has already executed several IWT infrastructure improvements in the river in line with the master plan, which aims to gradually make the Xiang River navigable year-round for barges of up to 1,000 deadweight tons (dwt) on its middle and upper reaches and for barges of up to 2,000 dwt on its lower reaches. Once the plan fully is implemented, the Xiang River will become one of the most important freight corridors in Hunan.³

In 2011, the PRC sought ADB’s assistance in achieving its vision for the IWT network in Hunan. Together, they initiated a project—the Hunan-Xiangjiang Inland Waterway Transport Project—that aimed to construct a new navigation complex—the Tugutang Navigation Complex—with a ship lock capacity that can accommodate class III vessels,⁴ a run-of-the-river barrage to regulate river levels and flows, and an associated hydropower plant with a capacity of 90 megawatts (MW). In addition, this project will also construct cargo terminal berths and improve public landing stages, which will provide rural communities with improved access to river transport to different parts of the province and maximize the potential of industrial sites in the area.

The project, which is ADB’s first IWT project, is an important element in the Xiang River Network Master Plan. Without the Tugutang Navigation Complex, prior investments given to enhance IWT facilities upstream of the river will be less beneficial.

SOLUTIONS

Barrage design and construction. A barrage is a structure that controls river level and flow. In this project, the barrage design considered several important dimensions. First, its design aims to raise water levels in the river so that class III vessels can navigate through it. Second, its design will integrate a hydropower plant with a total installed capacity of 90 MW. It was essential for the project to choose the best location for the barrage given its multipurpose nature. Geography, geology, river navigation, adjacent developments, and ease of construction were considered. The project chose from among three options: at the upper portion of the river in Hengnan County in Hunan, at a lower portion of the river in Chejiang Town, and at a middle site about 8.8 kilometers downstream from the upper portion of the river in Hengnan. The site in the upper portion of the river in Hengnan was ultimately chosen. In this area, the river channel is straight, providing ships adequate space to maneuver. In addition, this area is highly rural and has no environmentally sensitive sites, thus social and environmental impacts are minimized (footnote 3).

The project’s barrage which forms part of the navigation complex, will have 17 sluice gates. Each gate will be 20-meter wide. A sluice gate is the barrage’s “doors”—the mechanisms that can be opened or closed to control river flow. Each bay or opening will have metal radial sluice gates, which can be lowered or raised by pistons supported by bearings fixed to the pier walls. Each gate will be provided with an alternative source of power for backup in the event of main electricity supply failure.

The gates will be controlled and operated automatically, but will have a manual override option. Moreover, the barrage was designed to discharge a flow with a 1:50 year return period⁵ and verified as structurally able to withstand a catastrophic flood with a 1:500 year return period (footnote 3).

The barrage will include a run–of–the–river hydropower generation plant with a total installed capacity of 90 MW and normal annual energy output of 358.2 million kilowatt–hours. The plant will have four turbine units, a power house, tailrace, transformer yard, and transmission lines to connect to the regional electricity grid on the west side of the barrage.

The construction of the hydropower plant was not a mere afterthought. Rather, the barrage was designed to be multipurpose, with hydroelectricity generation providing a revenue that would help the province recover the investment cost.

Ship lock. For vessels to pass the barrage, they go through a ship lock which is a chamber with gates at each end. Ship locks enable vessels to navigate through steep changes in the level of the river. The project’s ship lock is located on one side of the river, and was designed to hold up to four 1,000–ton vessels. To fill the chamber, the ship lock has three inlet conduits where water regulated by the gates will flow. The chamber’s walls were treated with manifold arrangement to minimize the whipping of turbulent waters on ships within the lock.

Ports development. As the navigation complex is projected to attract more freight traffic, ports in Hunan must also be enhanced. Cargo terminals in the project site only had main moorings and loading ramps for small vessels, with the biggest berth capable of receiving vessels with capacities of only 300 tons. The project sought to increase the port capacity of the province’s IWT network. Engineering designs for two cargo terminals, each with a 100 m concrete berth, have been completed. The project will expand and improve the berths so that they can handle vessels up to 1,000 tons. Aside from improving the berths, new facilities will be added to the terminals, such as open cargo storage areas, warehouses, and workshops, among others.

The shiplock under construction on the back of the river.
Source: ADB Photo Library.

Fish pass. The project incorporated a fish pass into its design, to ensure that no fish and other aquatic animals will be carried into the hydropower turbines. The fish pass will be 774 meters long, and will provide a channel where aquatic animals can pass. In addition, important fish habitats will be identified and protected.

Institutional development. Alongside infrastructure development, reforms were also introduced in the institutions involved in IWT in the province. First, to improve coordination among the many institutions with responsibilities concerning the waterway, the province set up the Water Transport Development Committee to foster IWT development. Through the project, the province started introducing modern IWT management and support systems and provided trainings in monitoring, inspection and emergency response to the Hunan provincial department of transport, the Hunan Maritime Affairs Bureau, and the Hunan Xiangjiang Navigation Construction and Development Company. The project has also helped establish an IWT enterprise that will construct, de...

Table of contents

• Front Cover
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Contents
• Foreword
• Acknowledgment
• Abbreviations
• Overview
• Waterways
• Up in the Air
• On Track
• Urban Transport Solutions
• Cross–Country Corridors
• In–Country Expressways
• Rural Road Connections
• Road Maintenance
• Back Cover