Shaxii Road Case Study

8/8/2019 Shaxii Road Case Study

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SUMMARY ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT

SHANXI ROAD DEVELOPMENT II PROJECT

IN THE

PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA


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CURRENCY EQUIVALENTS

Currency Units Yuan (Y)

Y1.00 = $0.1208$1.00 = Y8.2800

ABBREVIATIONS

ADB Asian Development BankBOD biochemical oxygen demand

CO carbon monoxideCOD chemical oxygen demandEIA environmental impact assessmentEIRR economic internal rate of returnGB Chinese national standardsMOC Ministry of CommunicationsNOx nitrogen oxidesPb leadpH an expression of the intensity of the basic or acid condition

PRC Peoples Republic of ChinaRAP resettlement action planSCD Shanxi Communications DepartmentSEPA State Environmental Protection AdministrationSEPB Shanxi Environmental Protection BureauSHEC Shanxi Hou-yu Expressway Construction Company Ltd.SS suspended solidsTSP total suspended particulate matter

YEPB Yuncheng Environmental Protection BureauYWNR Yuncheng Wetlands Nature Reserve

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES

dB decibelha hectarehr hour

km kilometerkm2 square kilometerm meterm2 square meterm3 cubic metermg/Nm3 milligram per normal cubic metert t


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CONTENTS

Page

MAPS ii-iv

I. INTRODUCTION 1

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT 1

III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT 2

A. Physical Setting 2B. Environmental Setting 2C. Historic and Cultural Resources 3D. Social and Economic Environment 4

IV. PROJECT ALTERNATIVES 4

V. ANTICIPATED IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES 6

A. Land Use and Resettlement 6B. The Yuncheng Wetlands Nature Reserve 6C. Historic and Cultural Resources 8D. Soil Erosion 8E. Water Quality 9

F. Hazardous Material Spills 11G. Air Quality 11H. Noise Impacts 11I. Visual Impacts 12J. Socioeconomic Impacts 13

VI. ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT 13

VII. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTAL

MONITORING PROGRAM 14

A. Institutional Requirements 14B. Environmental Monitoring Program 14

VIII. PUBLIC INVOLVEMENT 15


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I. INTRODUCTION

1. The environmental impact assessment (EIA) of the proposed HoumaYumenkouExpressway Project in Shanxi Province, People's Republic of China, (PRC), was carried out bythe Research Institute of Highways of the Ministry of Communications (MOC). The terms ofreference gained approval by the State Environmental Protection Administration (SEPA) in June2000. The EIA report was completed in February 2001 and reviewed in April 2001 at a specialmeeting in Beijing held by the Environmental Protection Office of MOC and SEPA. The final EIAreport was approved by SEPA in March 2002. This summary environmental impact assessmentwas prepared based on the final EIA report1 with some modifications, following the AsianDevelopment Bank (ADB) guidelines and format as indicated in Environmental Assessment

Requirements of the Asian Development Bank.2

II. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

2. The Project will be an integral part of the National Trunk Highway System and a majornew component of the highway network of Shanxi Province. The project expressway will serveas a much needed transport artery to foster the economic development of the relative less-developed Shanxi Province (Maps 1, 2, and 3).

3. The proposed 65.0 kilometer (km) dual four-lane access-controlled expressway, startingfrom Houma City will cover three counties (Xinjiang, Jishan, and Hejin), running across theYellow River and linking to the Shaanxi Expressway in Shaanxi Province. The Project willinclude the construction of 3 super large bridges (the Yellow River Bridge and 2 dry bridges), 9large bridges, 3 medium or small bridges, 4 interchanges, 133 culverts, and 99 overpasses andunderpasses. There will be six toll stations and one service area serving the road. The 4-yearproject construction period is scheduled to begin in early 2003, with the expressway going intofull operation in 2007. Traffic volume on the expressway is estimated at 20,918 vehicles/day in

2007 and 53,057 vehicles/day in 2026, with a design vehicle speed of 120 km/hour (hr). TheProject also includes improvement of 70.7 km of local roads.

4. The Shanxi Hou-yu Expressway Construction Company Ltd. (SHEC) was established inOctober 2001 by the Shanxi Communications Department (SCD) for the Project. SCD will bethe executing agency for the overall Project including the local road component, and SHEC willbe the project implementation agency responsible for construction, maintenance, and operationof the proposed expressway and the Yellow River Bridge.


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III. DESCRIPTION OF THE ENVIRONMENT

A. Physical Setting

1. Geology, Topography, and Soils

5. The project area is situated in the southwest of Shanxi Province. The terrain featuresmainly hilly land (the east and the west parts) and basin (central part), with the elevationdecreasing from the northeast at 2,346 meters (m) towards the southwest at 400 m in theYellow River flood land. The proposed expressway will run through the Linfen Basin with mostlyplain terrain of low altitude. The main types of soil along the proposed alignment include

cinnamon soil and limy cinnamon soil, with some demoisture soil and salinized soil in theXinjiang section and some aeolian sandy soil and calcareous eolian soil on the Yellow Riverflood land.

2. Climate

6. The project area features a semiarid continental monsoon climate. The annual meantemperature is 12.213.6 degrees Celsius (oC), with a mean temperature of 26.4 oC in July, and

negative 4.0

o

C in January. The average annual precipitation is approximately 543590millimeters. Most of the rainfall concentrates from June through September, accounting for morethan 50% of the total, with frequent thunderstorms. This contributes heavily to the soil erosionproblem of the area. The wind speed is relatively high, averaging annually 1.93.6 m/second,with varied prevailing wind direction in different locations.

B. Environmental Setting

1. Ecosystem

7. The project area is characterized mainly by farmland and orchards, with some tree farmson the Yellow River flood land. Animals include mostly domestic livestock. No rare, endangered,or threatened species were identified within the project area. However, the proposed YellowRiver Bridge (4.6 km) of the expressway will cut through the Yuncheng Wetlands NatureReserve (YWNR) at Hejin, which is 2.5 km from the border of a wintering ground for graycranesa migratory bird of national level Class II Priority protected wildlife.

2. Soil Erosion

8. As shown in Table1, the project corridor is somewhat sensitive to soil erosion, withmostly a moderate degree of soil erosion loss (average erosion modulus of 2,5005,000 tonsper square kilometer per year (t/km2 /yr), as per the Standards for Environmental ImpactAssessment of Highway Construction Projects JTJ 00596).


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Table 1: Soil Erosion Data Along the Project Corridor

County Total Area(km2) Eroded Area(%) Erosion Modulus(t/km2/yr) Annual ErosionLoss (t)Xinjiang 593.4 33.6 3754630

(slight - moderate)103.5

Jishan 686.3 47.6 4154700(slight - moderate)

103.5

Hejin 593.1 39.9 2605 (moderate) 61.6km

2=square kilometer, t=ton, yr=year.

3. Water Quality

9. The only river crossed by the proposed alignment is the Yellow. The expressway willtraverse the river at Hejin, where a super large bridge will be built. The water quality of theYellow River was checked on 2122 June 1999 at five monitoring points along the Hejin sectionagainst the applicable Environmental Quality Standards for Surface Waters (GHZB1-1999),Class IV, based on the contents of suspended solids, chemical oxygen demand, oil and grease,and lead as well as pH value. The results showed that all the water quality parameters were incompliance with the standards except for suspended solids due to the high sand content of theriver. The source of drinking water for the project area is groundwater.

4. Air Quality

10. Air quality (nitrogen oxides [NOx], carbon monoxide [CO], and total suspendedparticulate matter [TSP] concentrations) was checked at three representative locations alongthe proposed alignment against the applicable Ambient Air Quality Standards GB3095-1996,Class II (for residential and commercial areas). Only NOx (average daily concentration 0.009

0.036 milligram per normal cubic meter [mg/Nm3

]) was in compliance with the allowable limit of0.12 mg/Nm3. The CO contents at two of the selected locations (average daily concentration2.145.84 mg/Nm3) most of the time exceeded the allowable limit of 4.00 mg/Nm3, mainly due tothe air emissions from coking plants, chemical plants, and other small industrial enterprisesscattered along the road. The average daily concentration of TSP ranged from 0.45 to 0.85mg/Nm3, being well above the maximum allowable limit of 0.30 mg/Nm3. This was attributed toindustrial emissions and the use of coal as an energy source in the area.

5. Noise

11. There are currently 15 sensitive points (14 villages and 1 school) along the proposedalignment. Noise measurements were performed at 10 representative locations on 2128 June1999. The noise levels, both in daytime and at night, were well within the limits of the applicableNoise Standards for Urban Areas GB3096-93 with only one exception: the noise level atShuixizhuang village was a little higher than the standard limit by 2.34.5 decibels (dB). On the


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D. Social and Economic Environment

13. Shanxi is one of the poorer interior provinces in the country with a gross domesticproduct of Y164.4 billion in 2000, only about 17% of the coastal Guangdong Provinces level.Shanxi has a population of 32.48 million, of whom 23.72 million (73%) are rural. AmongShanxis 85 counties 35 (41.2%) are classified as poverty counties, in which a majority orsubstantial part of their population exist below the current PRC national poverty level per capitaannual income of Y1,000. According to 2000 data, the project influence area, including the threecounties of Hejin, Jishan, and Xinjiang, has a total population of approximately 1,000,000, with33,965 identified as poor (3.4%), living in 1 township, 35 villages, and 7,817 households.

14. The project influence area, including Hejin, Jishan, and Xinjiang counties, is among themore prosperous within Shanxi Province and the fastest growing within Yuncheng Prefecture.Along with having some of the best agricultural land in the prefecture, their small and medium-sized industries, coal mining, and agricultural processing sectors are undergoing impressiveexpansion. Yuncheng Prefecture now has the greatest number of township and villageenterprises (52,563) of all the prefectures in Shanxi Province, providing full or part timeemployment to an estimated 422,665 people, 124,573 (29.5%) of whom are in the projectinfluence area. Though 84% of the population in this area reside in townships and villages, the

trend in the last decade has seen the greater percentage of rural household income derivedfrom nonfarm sources, mainly migrant labor for the construction and service industries. Thegrowing township and village enterprises also serve as a major contributor for more ruralhousehold income. In 1990 farming accounted for 71% of rural household income; thepercentage has now declined to less than 30% on the average. As a result, rural householdincome increased from Y1,208 in 1995 to Y1,906 in 2000, an average annual increase of 9.5%.However, economic development of this area has reached a level where one of the greatestconstraints is inadequate road transport.

IV. PROJECT ALTERNATIVES

15. Without the Project Option. Currently the only road linking Houma and Yumenkou isnational highway G108, which is an older class II road with poor conditions. The traffic volumeof the road has been increasing tremendously along with the economic development of thearea. As revealed by recent statistics, the annual average mixed traffic volume on the road hasreached 6,313 vehicles/day, with a congestion index of 1.39, going far beyond the designcapacity of class II road. The road passes through many densely populated commercial areas,

townships, villages, and small industrial enterprises without access control, with many buildings,vehicle service and fueling stations, and even schools located adjacent to the roadway. As aresult, serious congestion and traffic accidents have been a major problem. Reported majoraccidents in the project influence area were 594 in 1997 with 367 fatalities, 382 injured, and aneconomic loss of Y1.42 million. With the traffic volume increasing year by year, the accident rateis also on the rise. In addition, the increased traffic has also caused more traffic noise, vehicleemissions and dust car-washing wastewater pollution and other environmental problems in the


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feasibility study for comparison. Alternative K was preferable to other alternatives in all respectsexcept that its Yellow River Bridge was the longest. Based on overall engineering and

socioeconomic considerations, alternative K has been selected in the feasibility studies for theproposed expressway.

17. The four alignment alternatives were evaluated and compared in the EIA report in termsof potential environmental impacts. Public input, including comments from the Shanxi ProvinceForestry Department, YWNR Administration, and other local government agencies, has beenincluded in the decision-making process. As illustrated in Table 2, alternative K is preferable interms of engineering, geological, safety, ecological, environmental, and economic factors, andhence was recommended. While alternative A is relatively shorter in terms of the bridge length

passing through the nature reserve, it was rejected given its geological, safety, resettlement,and technical implications.

Table 2: Alternative Comparison

Impacts Alternative K Alternative A Alternative B Alternative CFavored

Alternative(s)

Farmlands, orchards,and wild lands

Less impact dueto shorter route

Relatively moreimpact due tolonger route



K

Soil erosion Less significant Significant More significantthan K & C butless significantthan A

Less significant K, C

Length of YellowRiver Bridge

Longest(4,566 m)

Shortest(495 m)

Shorter(3,857 m)

Shorter(3,976 m)

A

Noise 5 sensitive

points with lowerover-standardnoise level

6 sensitive

points withhigher over-standard noiselevel

5 sensitive


4 sensitive


K

Air quality Insignificant Insignificant Insignificant Insignificant K, B, or C

Land acquisition andresettlement

Less More More More K

Historic resources Insignificant Insignificant Insignificant Insignificant No significantdifference

Engineeringgeological condition

Less difficult Difficult Less difficult Less difficult K, A, B


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V. ANTICIPATED IMPACTS AND MITIGATION MEASURES

A. Land Use and Resettlement

18. Land Acquisition. The total land area to be acquired for the proposed project will be410.7 hectares (ha), including irrigated land (83.9%), dry farmland (2.1%), orchards (8.6%),vegetable plots (0.5%), and uncultivated land (4.9%). The loss in agricultural products due tofarmland decrease is estimated at Y3.25 million per year. Another 9.33 ha of land is neededduring the construction period for temporary use (construction camp sites, staging areas,access roads, borrow and spoil sites, etc.). All temporarily occupied land will be fully reinstated

to productive use after construction. Some 3,983 square meters (m2) of buildings will bedemolished and 478 wire poles removed, and one small enterprise (a coking plant) will have tobe moved.

19. Resettlement Action Plan. For the 3,423 people unavoidably affected by the Project, aresettlement action plan (RAP) was prepared to insure attainment of equal or better livelihoodand living standards in line with the PRCs Land Administration Law (1998) and ADBs Policy onInvoluntary Resettlement (1995). Most of the affected will receive lands of similar quality withinthe same village administration, plus assistance for resuming production as soon as possible.For the few who do not, skill training opportunities will be offered to provide equal livingstandards along with permission to move to urban areas where such skills can be utilized. Only20 households with 90 persons will have to be moved into new houses; all will be resettled inthe same villages in houses built prior to demolition of existing ones and preferably within 1,000m of their previous dwelling at a location of their choice. For those affected, resettlementsubsidies as well as compensation for loss of output will also be provided. Resettlement costsfor realizing the RAP are estimated at Y258.20 million and are included in the overall projectcost estimates.

20. The proposed Project will disrupt some existing irrigation systems, particularly in theplain areas where the road will be constructed on filled-up embankment. This fragmentation willalso affect the existing flood-relief channels and natural drainage of the area. To address thisproblem, the engineering design has included 133 culverts for surface runoff and linking up thesplit irrigation systems so as to essentially restore the original irrigation pattern of the area. Theproposed access-controlled expressway will also cause some blocking effect for local residentsliving on both sides of the road in terms of farm work and social association. To solve thisproblem, four interchanges linking to county and rural roads and 99 underpasses or overpasseswill be built.

B. The Yuncheng Wetlands Nature Reserve

21. Information on the Nature Reserve. The YWNR was officially established in April 2001as a provincial level nature reserve It was an expansion of the Yuncheng Swan Wintering


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class I priority protected wildlife and 11 species of national level class II priority protectedwildlife.

22. Project Impacts. The Yellow River Bridge of the expressway, which will pass throughthe YWNR at Hejin, is about 2.5 km from the border of the original Hejin Gray Crane WinteringGround Nature Reserve. Although the bridge is located outside the gray crane wintering ground,it will have impacts on gray cranes.3

23. Every year during winter migration some 1,5002,000 gray cranes fly to Hejin, roost andfeed on the barren beach and farmland by the riverside in the daytime, and rest on the shoals inthe river course of the Yellow River at night. Experts from the Nature Reserve Administrative

Station of Shanxi Province have been asked to evaluate the potential adverse impactsassociated with the proposed expressway on the YWNR. Their inputs are as follows:

(i) The construction activities will drive some wildlife away from their habitats,particularly birds like the gray cranes. The construction period will last for quite along time (34 years) and it is predicted that the gray cranes within 500 m of theproposed expressway will leave their currently roosting and feeding places andmove southward.

(ii) During road construction, the vegetation on the acquired land will be destroyed,and the local ecosystem changed. In addition, the destruction and fragmentationeffect of the road construction may diminish the habitats for some of the animalspecies, so that there may not be enough roosting places any more for them tosurvive. These species may include, as shown by investigation, hare, blackmoorhen, and weed oriole.

(iii) During operation, the traffic noise, traffic lights at night, and vehicle emissions

may cause some adverse impacts on the wildlife around the road.

24. The affected gray cranes are the major concern. According to the experts mentioned inpara. 23, the number of gray cranes currently roosting and feeding in the project area, asrevealed by investigation, is approximately 70100, and those resting at nighttime on the shoalsof the Yellow River around the proposed Yellow River Bridge location total about 50. This bringsthe number of affected gray cranes to 120150, or about 610% of the total staying in Hejinevery winter. Investigation also showed that the number of other affected wildlife like wild geeseand ducks, swans, hares, back moorhens, and weed orioles are all in the range of 510% of thetotal number existing in the area. They are all widely distributed species, and the change oreven the loss of some of their habitats will not be an issue in terms of resource conservation.

25. Protective Measures. Under the guidance of the Shanxi Forestry Bureau and theNature Reserve Administrative Station of Shanxi Province, an action plan (Appendix 1) wasdeveloped for minimizing the adverse impacts on the YWNR It provides details of the


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(i) Public awareness of the significance and the need to protect the YWNR will beincreased. Three training workshops will be held to educate all the peopleinvolved, in particular construction managers and workers, and make them awarethat any impacts on the nature reserve are subject to compliance with theNational Regulations for Protection of Nature Preserves, PRC; Wildlife ProtectionLaw, PRC; Wild Plants Protection Law; and other applicable laws andregulations.

(ii) Construction activities will be appropriately scheduled. To the extent feasible,construction activities will be reduced in winter (NovemberMarch) to minimize

disturbance to the winter migration of the migratory birds. Blasting operation willbe avoided where possible to minimize disturbing the wintering birds.

(iii) Borrow sites, disposal sites, campsites, staging areas, storage areas, or otheruse areas within the nature reserve will be prohibited. Temporary fencing orbarriers will protect sensitive plant and animal habitats from accidentalencroachment by construction equipment.

(iv) Equipment and construction materials will be stored away from wetlands andriparian areas. All wastewater and solid wastes during construction will becollected, treated, and discharged properly to avoid polluting the water bodies.

(v) Noise control measures will be provided at approaches to the Yellow RiverBridge to avoid disturbing the wildlife in the nature reserve.

(vi) Four ecosystem monitoring points will be set up in the YWNR during constructionto monitor the effects of the construction activities on the survival and quality of

the reserves ecosystem, including habitats, birds, mammals, and amphibians.

(vii) An enrichment program will be developed to provide food to attract the graycranes away from the construction area.

(viii) An environmental management unit will be established under SHEC, to be joinedby staff from the Yuncheng Environmental Protection Bureau (YEPB) and YWNRStation.

C. Historic and Cultural Resources

26. The proposed alignment will not pass through any historic sites.

D. Soil Erosion


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28. The engineering design shows that 45 km of the proposed expressway will be sectionswith fill operation, and 12.7 km with cut operation. As a result, the amount of earth filled will belarger than that of earth cut by 2,947 m3. Accordingly, there should be no waste generated at all.In reality, however, the movement of earth along the alignment cannot be accomplishedperfectly as planned, and there will always be some amount of waste.

29. A soil erosion control and management plan (Appendix 2) was prepared as part of theEIA in accordance with the requirements of the PRC Soil Conservation Law. It provides theobjectives, responsible authority, and cost estimates for each of the key actions for soil erosioncontrol. The management plan was approved by the Ministry of Water Resources in February2002. Soil erosion control measures were developed including both permanent measures

incorporated into the engineering design and temporary measures to be implemented duringconstruction (paras. 30-31).

30. Permanent Erosion Control Measures. As permanent control measures for slopestabilization and embankment drainage and protection, 92,770 m2 of side ditches and berms,95,129 m2 of rock lining and slope walls, and 9,680 m2 of torrent chutes were designed alongthe road, where appropriate. The road design also includes sodding and tree planting on bothsides, and center dividers. The landscaping will not only beautify the road but also protect itfrom soil erosion. All the permanent erosion control features are required to be incorporated intothe Project at the earliest practicable time.

31. Temporary Erosion Control Measures. Temporary erosion control measures will beused during construction to limit erosion and resultant sediment and water pollution, as follows:

(i) Silt basins will be used, where appropriate, to intercept water runoff and allowsolid matter to settle. After completion of road construction these basins will begraded and revegetated or returned to farm use.

(ii) To the extent feasible, the length and steepness of cut and fill slopes will beminimized particularly at borrow and spoil sites.

(iii) Silt dikes and runoff ditches will be installed where appropriate to prevent siltfrom leaving sensitive areas (borrow sites, spoil sites, etc.) and entering farmlandor water bodies.

(iv) Topsoil of cultivated land used for temporary work areas, in particular the borrowsites, will be stripped off and stockpiled, to be replaced when the construction iscompleted and the cultivated land rehabilitated. Stockpiled topsoil will be locatedand protected so that storm water runoff will not cause sedimentation.

(v) Temporary groundcover (matting, hay bales, sandbags, etc.) will be used ondisturbed and exposed areas to control erosion and retard runoff particularly


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sites; (iii) potential pollution associated with the construction of bridge foundations with boredpiles; and (iv) pollution caused by surface runoff and service area wastewater.

33. Water Quality Impacts Due to Construction Sites. Wastewater and hazardousmaterials (fuel, oil, acids, caustics, etc.) may drain into streams and drainage areas, causingpollution to surface water or groundwater. This is particularly true for large bridge constructionsites, construction campsites, and staging areas where workers, construction equipment, andbuilding materials are most concentrated. It was estimated, for example, that the construction ofthe Yellow River Bridge will need, on the average, about 2,300 workers on site every day,generating approximately 109 tons/day of sanitary wastewater and 2.302.45 tons/day ofgarbage. In the 4-year construction period, a total of 160,000 tons of wastewater and 3,358

5,037 tons of garbage will be generated.

34. Pollution Caused by Construction of Bridge Foundations. The Project will involvethe construction of 12 large and super large bridges, which will be built with hollow piers anddeep foundations with bored piles. The pile drilling operation will generate a great amount ofspoil. It is estimated, for example, that the construction of the super large Yellow River Bridge,with 78 piers to install, will produce a total of 117,900135,000 cubic meters (m3) of waste. Thiswaste will be properly removed and stored outside the construction area to avoid polluting thewater body. In addition, the drilling operations may stir up the sediments in the riverbed and addto the high suspended solid problem of the river.

35. Expressway Runoff. Rainwater washes out atmospheric pollutants, picks up roadwaydeposits, and runs off into rivers. The impact of the initial runoff pollutants on the water qualitywas estimated for two of the three super large bridges of the Project, the Shuixi ReservoirBridge and the Yellow River Bridge, using a mathematical model. As indicated in Table 3, theincrease of pollutant concentrations of the affected water will be insignificant and will have littleimpact on the water quality of Shuixi Reservoir and the Yellow River.

Table 3: Predicted Impacts of Runoff Pollutants on River Water Quality

Water BodyAnnual Rainfall

(mm)

Road SurfaceCollecting Rain

(m)

Amount ofRunoff(m

3/hr)

Increases in PollutantConcentration

(mg/l)ShuixiReservoir 590 246 x 28 1.52 COD 0.10.2

Yellow River 590 4,566 x 28 28.3

Oil & Grease

0.0060.01COD=chemical oxygen demand, m=meter, mm=millimeter, m

3/hr=cubic meter per hour, mg/l=milligram

per liter.

36. Wastewater Effluent from the Service Area. There will be fueling and service stationsas well as offices, hotels, and restaurants for the passengers in the service area. Sanitarywastewater effluent from these facilities as well as wastewater generated by car washing


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F. Hazardous Material Spills

37. The probability of hazardous material spills on the proposed expressway and associatedbridges was evaluated using a mathematical model. The results indicated a probable accidentrate of 1.016, 1.875, and 2.689 accidents per year on the road for 2006, 2015, and 2025,respectively. For the 12 large and super large bridges (with a total length of 7,294 m), thecorresponding numbers are 0.114, 0.210, and 0.302 accidents per year. While these rates arerelatively low, the risk of hazardous material spills cannot be overlooked. Furthermore, thepredicted rates are on the upward trend, going up from 2006 to 2025 by a factor of 2.65.

38. It should be noted that the number of incidents of hazardous material spills alone is not

necessarily indicative of the environmental impact of such incidents. To prepare for the possibleaccidents, it is essential to have a sound hazardous materials emergency preparedness andresponse program. The monitoring center for traffic management under SHEC will act as anemergency center in case of an accident. A contingency plan and a training program foremergency preparedness will be developed. Transporters of hazardous materials are under thecontrol and inspection of the local communications bureau, and are required to have threecertificates (drivers license, escorts license, and hazardous material transport permit) tooperate.

G. Air Quality

39. Air Quality Impacts During Operation. The project area is a non-attainment area forTSP and CO, with their background concentrations well exceeding the applicable air qualitystandards. The vehicle emissions and fugitive dust emissions from the expressway will add tothe problem. Potential air quality impacts on the NOx concentrations from expresswayoperations for 2006, 2015, and 2025 were evaluated for sensitive points located within 10 m.The evaluation was made based on traffic volume, vehicle type, topographical and climatic

conditions, and other factors. The predicted results show concentrations of NOx well below thestandard limits throughout the operational period. To reduce the air pollution in the sections thatare located near residential areas, trees will be planted between the villages and the alignment.

40. Air Quality Impacts During Construction. Construction activitiesparticularlyearthworks; increased traffic; and the use of cement, asphalt, and other building materialswillproduce excessive airborne dust and toxic asphalt fumes, causing a major impact on air qualitywithin the project area. It was determined in a location similar to this Project that the TSPconcentration at a distance 50 m to the leeward of a concrete mixing plant can be 1.368mg/Nm3, exceeding the allowable limit, but this decreased to 0.619 mg/Nm3 at 100 m. Tominimize the dust impact, construction fields and major access roads and haul roads will bewatered on a set schedule, particularly in the dry season. Construction materials storage andconcrete mixing plants will be sited more than 100 m away, and asphalt mixing plants 300 maway in a downwind direction from residences and schools. All the mixing equipment will beclosed systems with dust extractors Dust-generated materials will be stored and hauled in bags


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Highway Construction Projects (Trial) (JTJ00596, MOC). The evaluation was based onprojected traffic volume, vehicle type, vehicle speed, road surface conditions, and other factors.Traffic noise levels, both in daytime and at night, were calculated along the road at 20 mincrements between 10 m and 200 m from the centerline of the road. With these data and thebackground conditions, noise levels were predicted for all the sensitive points within the projectarea as shown in Table 4.

Table 4: Predicted Noise Impacts of the Project During Operation

Year

Affected Sensitive

Points

Over-Standard NoiseLevel

(dB)

Number of People

Affected2006 4 Villages 26.9 (nighttime) Village: 450

2015 5 Villages1 School

1.38.4 (nighttime)0.81.4 (daytime)

Village: 495School: 320

2025 7 Villages1 School

0.910.0 (nighttime)2.83.2 (daytime)

Village: 635School: 320

dB=decibel.

42. Noise Impacts During Operation. To control the noise impacts within the standards,the following measures were developed for different locations: (i) relocate affected households(10 households in Cangtou Village); (ii) install noise-insulating windows along approachingroads to the Yellow River Bridge (5 households and gray crane habitats); (iii) establish greenbeltbetween the road and the villages and school; (iv) prohibit blowing of car horns in closeproximity to villages and schools; and (v) perform noise impact monitoring during operation, andconsider further mitigation measures as appropriate based on actual monitoring data.

43. Noise Impacts During Construction. Noise impacts are expected to increase duringconstruction due to the use of construction machinery and earth-moving equipment. Asestimated considering the major construction equipment to be used, the daytime noise levelswill be within the applicable standards of 75 dB (GB12523-90) when the noise receptor is at adistance of 50 m or more from the noise source except for high noise equipment like pneumatichammer, rock drill, and generator. In the nighttime, however, the noise sources will have to beat a distance of 100 m or more from the receptor to be within the allowable limit of 55 dB.Because most villages and schools within the project area are located 100 m or more from theroad, no significant noise impacts are expected in the daytime. To minimize the nighttime noiseimpacts, noise suppressors will be used on construction equipment where feasible. High noisemachinery will not be allowed to operate in the proximity of a school when classes are insession, and also from 22:00 to 6:00 hrs when there are residential areas nearby. Constructionworkers exposed to excessive noise will be provided with hearing protection devices.

I Visual Impacts


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other infrastructure in such a way as to achieve consistency with the surrounding naturallandscape, local buildings, and facilities in terms of form, color, and texture.

J. Socioeconomic Impacts

45. The Project will have significant impacts on both urban economics and rural poverty inthe project area. The construction of the expressway and the rehabilitation of local roadsconstitute the only long-term solution to the depressed economic conditions in the project areadue to the lack of transport infrastructure. The greatest beneficiaries from a monetary standpointwill be the current road users, who will experience greater efficiency, higher safety, and lesswear and damage to their vehicles. From a numerical standpoint, the largest group of

beneficiaries will be farmers, who will have improved access to markets and cheaper transportcosts for their commercial produce. Farmers and their families will also benefit from expandedopportunities for seasonal employment elsewhere to earn supplemental incomes. Rural villageswill also have improved delivery of health, education, and other social services by virtue of all-weather feeder and rural road connections to the expressway interchanges. With the year-roundaccess to new markets provided by the Project, the village level enterprises will also prosper,promoting local economic growth.

46. During construction, the Project will generate significant employment opportunities in thearea. Annual labor requirements during the 4 years of construction, as estimated, will vary from4,680 to 7,020 skilled and unskilled workers, totaling 23,400 person-years. In both categoriesfirst preference will be given to those below the poverty line. During operation an estimatedannual income of Y600,000 will be generated for the unskilled poor workers from about 100 ofthe 395 jobs in the maintenance, administration, and service areas. Possible adverse socialimpacts of the Project have been taken into account through (i) the comprehensive RAP; (ii)measures to minimize any disruption to traffic on existing roads, irrigation systems, transportlinks to farmlands, and electrical and communications facilities; and (iii) measures to reduce

health risks for construction workers, the local population, and road users.

VI. ECONOMIC ASSESSMENT

47. Costs and Benefits of Environmental Impacts. Quantitative economic evaluation ofthe costs and benefits of environmental impacts was not undertaken due to lack of data andmethodological difficulties. The main costs of environmental impacts will be associated withactivities during the construction period, such as soil erosion and ecosystem disturbance.Mitigation measures will be taken to minimize the environmental costs by reducing the identifiedadverse environmental impacts. The benefits of the environmental impacts will include reductionof air emissions and noise through reduced traffic congestion and better road condition.

48. The main economic benefits generated by the project will be vehicle operating costsavings, reduced travel time, and cost savings from reduced accidents. Other benefits willinclude freight cost savings and resource cost savings arising from diversion of freight from rail


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major significance. The demand for expressway travel is relatively inelastic; therefore increasedtoll fees will not result in a significant reduction of economic benefits from the Project.

49. Cost Benefit and Cost Effectiveness of Mitigation Measures. The total costs ofenvironmental mitigation and monitoring measures are estimated at Y21,677,000 (about $2.6million equivalent), including design and temporary measures during construction (Y2,870,000),initial costs for mitigation measures during operation (Y13,867,000), operational costs for 20years (Y4,250,000), and others (Y690,000) (Appendix 3). These costs are considered fully

justified when compared with the expected benefits. The environmental benefits resulting fromthe mitigation measures recommended can readily be seen from reduction of soil erosion duringthe construction and operation periods; abatement of noise, water, and air pollution to local

residents; and improvements in visual quality of the project area due to landscaping and roadbeautification. In addition, the local capacity of environmental management agencies will bestrengthened through environmental monitoring program supported by the Project.

VII. INSTITUTIONAL REQUIREMENTS AND ENVIRONMENTALMONITORING PROGRAM

A. Institutional Requirements

50. One of the key duties of SHEC is, under the supervision and guidance of SCD and theShanxi Environmental Protection Bureau (SEPB), to organize and supervise the implementationof all the environmental mitigation and monitoring measures developed or recommended in theEIA report. To implement the environmental measures, an environmental management unit willbe established under SHEC (3 staff), joined by YEPB (1 staff) and YWNR (2 staff). Throughthese measures, any adverse environmental impacts caused by the construction or operation ofthe Project will be avoided or minimized in accordance with applicable national and localenvironmental procedures and guidelines. It is critical that SHEC be committed to the Projects

environmental objectives and provided with competent environmental staff and the necessarytools and equipment. To ensure that the mitigation and monitoring measures are being carriedout effectively on a continuing basis, a surveillance program and a clearly defined and regularreporting and response system will be established.

B. Environmental Monitoring Program

51. To ensure the proper implementation of the environmental mitigation measures, anenvironmental monitoring program has been established for both the construction and operationphases. The monitoring program will focus on noise impact, air quality, and water quality withinthe project area, as shown in Tables 5 and 6.

Table 5: Environmental Monitoring Program During Construction

Monitoring Testing Sampling


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Item Sampling Location

MonitoringItems

TestingFrequency Duration

SamplingInterval

Residential area near

unpaved roads

TSP Spot checks I day -

Noise Guanzhuang Village,Changtou School

Noise Once a month 1 day Twice(daytime and

at night)

WaterQuality

Yellow River Bridge,5 checking points at100 m upstream & 200

m downstream

COD , pH, Pb,SS,

turbidity,

oil & grease

Twice a year(wet/dryseasons)

1 day Twice(a.m./p.m.)

during

operationCOD=chemical oxygen demand, Pb=lead, pH=an expression of the intensity of the basic or acid condition,SS=suspended solids, TSP=total suspended particulate matter.

Table 6: Environmental Monitoring Program During Operation Period

Item Sampling LocationMonitoring

ItemsTesting

Frequency DurationSamplingInterval

Air Quality Guanzhang Village NOxTSPCO

Twice a year(winter/summer)

2 days 7:00, 10:00,14:00, 19:00

Noise Fuyouzhuang, LingliVillage, Xixin Village,Guanzhuang, ChangtouVillage,Changtou School

Noise 4 times a year 1 day 10:00-11:0022:00-23:00

WaterQuality

Yellow River Bridge,5 checking pts at 100 mupstream and 200 mdownstream

COD,pH, SS,oil & grease

Twice a year (wet/ dry seasons)

1 day 2 times(a.m./p.m.)

Service area wastewaterdischarge

COD,BOD,oil & grease

Twice a year(wet/dryseasons)

1 day 2 times(a.m./p.m.)

BOD=biochemical oxygen demand, CO=carbon monoxide, COD=chemical oxygen demand, NOx-nitrogen oxides,pH=an expression of the intensity of the basic or acid condition, SS=suspendid solids, TSP=total suspendedparticulate matter.

52. Additional monitoring or spot checks may be necessary. Local certified environmentalmonitoring stations in Shanxi Province will be contracted to perform the monitoring work inaccordance with all applicable national and local environmental regulations and standards. Theresults of monitoring will be analyzed, evaluated and reported to SHEC and SCD on a regular


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Project and the proposed alignment, (ii) identify concerns of the public, and (iii) inform the publicand agencies regarding potential impacts associated with the Project and the mitigationmeasures considered.

54. A questionnaire was completed at each of the households visited. Table 7 is a summaryof the feedback from the questionnaire. A large majority of the respondents were in favor of theProject. Most people believed that the Project would be beneficial to the country as well as tothe local economy, and hoped for its success. It also enjoyed wide support from localgovernments and agencies. However, because the visits were made in the early stage of theProject, when public awareness was still inadequate, there were also respondents who did notsupport it (6 of 127 households) or disagreed with the land acquisition and resettlement

proposals (9 of 127 households). Some respondents said they did not know about thecompensation policy for the land acquired and about relocation. Note that only 3 of the 127households visited were affected by the Project and required to resettle.

Table 7: Summary of the Public Consultation Questionnaire

Questions Feedback No. of households

Attitude towards the Project In favor 116

Not in favor 6

Do not know 5

Is the Project beneficial to the Yes 123

economic development of your village? No 4

Reaction of the affected households to theland acquisition and resettlementarrangements

a

Agree/Disagree 118/9

Concerns about adverse environmental Noise 122

impacts Vehicle emissions 87

Dust 68

Suggested mitigation measures Roadside landscaping 92

Noise barrier 35

Keep away from villages 43a

Only 3 of the 127 households visited were affected by the Project and required to resettle.

55. As revealed during the visits, the major concerns focused on traffic noise, vehicleemissions, and access inconvenience caused by the road. They hoped that mitigation measureswould be appropriately designed and implemented along with the road construction, andadequate underpasses or overpasses would be provided to facilitate the connection betweenth t id f th d d l th t th di t d i i ti f iliti ld b t d


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and cultural sites, thereby causing minimal disruption. Nevertheless, as evaluated by the EIA,the Project will create some adverse environmental impacts, which can be mitigated orminimized to acceptable levels. A balance can be struck between environmental protection and

the need for economic development. With the total mitigation costs accounting for about 1% ofthe total project costs, the Project is considered feasible environmentally as well aseconomically.

57. Alternatives. Four alignment alternativesK, A, B, and Cand the no-projectalternative were evaluated and compared in terms of potential environmental impacts, andalternative K was recommended. This is consistent with the recommendation of the projectfeasibility study based on engineering and socioeconomic considerations.

58. Yuncheng Wetlands Nature Reserve. The only major sensitive environmental issueidentified is that the proposed expressway is located 2.5 km from the border of the gray crane(migratory bird of national level class II priority protected wildlife) wintering grounds in theYWNR, a provincial level nature preserve. The proposed road will cause adverse impacts on thereserves natural ecosystem and, in particular, change some of the feeding and resting groundsfor the gray cranes and other wildlife. It has been investigated and evaluated by the pertinentauthority that the number of gray cranes affected (610%) is considered acceptable and will notconstitute a significant threat to the survival and long-term productivity of the existing protected

species. Other affected wildlife are all widely distributed species, and the change or even theloss of some of their habitats will not be an issue in terms of resource conservation. Withappropriate protective measures, the adverse impacts can be minimized without irreversiblechanges and harm to the function, structure, and value of the gray crane wintering grounds andthe YWNR.

59. Soil Erosion. Another environmental concern identified is soil erosion. The constructionactivities will increase the soil erosion rate over the baseline rate, as modeled, by a factor of

6.53, or an increased erosion loss of 10,889 tons per year. With implementation of therecommended temporary soil erosion control measures during construction and of permanentmeasures during operation, the actual soil erosion loss will be far less than this value. As thesoil erosion control programs go into effect gradually, the soil erosion will be reducedaccordingly, and, as predicted, in 23 years after the road operation, eventually restored to thepreconstruction level.

60. Water Pollution. In addition to the common water quality impacts associated withconstruction activities (water pollution with sedimentation due to increased soil erosion,

wastewater and solid waste pollution at campsites, etc.), a major water pollution threat to theYellow River was identified at the large bridge construction sites, where the bridges will be builtwith hollow piers and deep foundations with bored piles. The pile drilling operation will generatesomewhat large spoils. These wastes will be properly removed and stored outside theconstruction area to avoid polluting the water body. In addition, the drilling operation may stir upthe sediments on the riverbed and add to the high SS problem of the river During operation no


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attainment area for TSP and CO, with their background concentrations exceeding the standardlimits. The fugitive dust emissions from the expressway will certainly add to the already seriousTSP problem. The plan on tree planting in the sections close to residential areas will contribute

to reduction of TSP. The project construction will be relatively short-term, and adverse impactswill be localized. As predicted, 8 of the 15 sensitive points along the proposed alignment willsuffer from noise impacts in operation period, with a maximum over-standard noise level of 10dB. With the noise abatement measures recommended, these impacts will be mitigated.

62. Environmental Management. SHEC will assume overall responsibility forenvironmental management of the Project during both the construction and operation periods.SHEC, under the supervision and guidance of SCD and SEPB, is charged with organizing and

supervising the implementation of all the environmental mitigation and monitoring measuresdeveloped or recommended in the EIA. To ensure that these measures will be carried outeffectively on a continuing basis, an environmental management unit under SHEC, joined byYEPB and YWNR, will be established. A surveillance program and a clearly defined and regularreporting and response system will also be established.

63. Monitoring. An environmental monitoring program has been established for both theconstruction and operation phases, focusing on noise impact, air quality, and water qualitywithin the project-affected area. Local certified environmental monitoring stations in Shanxi

Province will be contracted to perform the monitoring work in accordance with all applicablenational and local environmental regulations and standards. Another four ecosystem monitoringpoints will be set up in the YWNR during the construction period to monitor the effects of theconstruction activities on the survival and quality of the reserves ecosystem, including habitats,birds, mammals, and amphibians. Monitoring of soil erosion and roadside landscaping in theoperational period will be included in the routine maintenance program.


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COSTS OF MITIGATION MEASURES

Items DescriptionCosts(Y'000)

Temporary Mitigation During ConstructionEnvironmental design Road landscaping, service area wastewater treatment, solid

waste treatment, signs for noise control and hazardousmaterials transport

500

Water quality protection Campsite septic tanks and garbage collection facilities, 60bridge construction sites runoff pollution protection, wastewatertreatment, and site cleanup

500

Dust abatement during construction Watering of construction sites and access roads, 400bags and covers for clean transportation and storage of dust-

generating materials

150

Construction safety measures 60Environmental monitoring during construction Environmental monitoring, 200

ecological monitoring at Yuncheng Wetland Nature Reserve 200Restoration of borrow sites and temporarilyused lands

800

Subtotal 2,870Mitigation During Operation

Landscaping Side slopes and center dividers (Y100,000/km), 6,500service area and interchanges (Y1,000,000/interchange) 5,000

Renovation of borrow sites and temporarilyused lands

1,300

Warning signs Y1000/piece 22Noise abatement Relocation to avoid noise impacts (Y30,000 /household), 300

noise-insulating windows (Y5,000/household) 25Service area wastewater treatment Y600,000/area 600Solid waste treatment 120

Subtotal 13,867Operational Costs of Environmental Mitigation (20 years)

Maintenance of environmental measures Y50,000/yr 1,000Environmental management Y50,000/yr 1,000Environmental monitoring Includes (i) purchasing equipment, and (ii) monitoring 1,450Contingency 600

Subtotal 4,250Others 690

Total 21,677

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Shaxii Road Case Study

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