DATES: September 2002 - June 2007
The Rehabilitation of Economic Facilities and Services (REFS) - Road Program, implemented by Louis Berger, ended in June 2007. It included the construction of 715 km of the Northern Ring Road (Kabul-Kandahar-Herat, completed in Dec. 2005), architecture and engineering (A&E) services for the rehabilitation of 6 provincial roads under a grant to the United Nations, and construction management and security services for the Saudi section of the Ring Road. FY 07 funds will be used to finance the construction of a 0.4 km bridge on the Kandahar-Herat Road, A&E and overall management costs associated with the remaining road construction work, additional security and logistical support costs, and increases in construction costs largely as a result of security-related delays. The Northern Ring Road alone will benefit some 5.3 million people within its catchment area by improving access to economic opportunities and social services. The road will also facilitate trade within Afghanistan and with Central Asian countries.