The GMS road corridors are the backbone of Myanmars transport system. The EWEC connects Thailand with Yangon and its special economic zone of Thilawa, and then onwards to Pathein, the capital of the Ayeyarwaddy delta. Improvements to this corridor will reduce national transport costs and improve regional connectivity with Thailand, and onwards to the GMS region. The Thailand, Lao PDR and Viet Nam sections of the corridor have been completed to high standards, and border facilities improved. However, most of the GMS EWEC road corridor in Myanmar has only two lanes, with a pavement in fair to poor condition; road safety features are generally missing. The alignment is long, crosses urban areas, and its low standards often make it unsafe for speeds higher than 40-60 kph.
The Project will address capacity issues on the Bago-Kyaikto section of the EWEC where the current two-lane road experiences high traffic. A pre-feasibility study prepared by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) showed that the section would reach capacity between 2020 and 2025. Upgrading the current road is not the preferred solution, as it would come with high resettlement impacts, and because the alignment is long and winding in several areas. The project involves instead the construction of a new arterial highway shorter by 32 km than the current alignment, which will halve travel time. The new arterial highway will be about 70 km long, and includes a 2.3 km bridge upon the Sittaung River.