How the World Bank Helped Create the World's Deadliest Road

It doesn't traverse a deep gorge or curve around a mountainside, so what makes the N2 in Bangladesh one of the world's deadliest highways? Annie Kelly explains.

2 minute read

December 19, 2012, 11:00 AM PST

By Jonathan Nettler @nettsj


"[T]he N2 is a fat belt of grey tarmac connecting the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka to the booming city of Sylhet. Seven years ago more than £169m was spent turning this road into one of Bangladesh's newest and fastest transport routes. Most of the money came from the World Bank."

Doesn't exactly sound like the recipe for mass vehicular peril, does it? But, as Kelly describes, with an official death rate of 180 persons a year (and estimates putting the number more than four times higher), the road is an emblem of the poor state of road safety in the developing world. And some believe the World Bank is complicit in the danger.

"Basically this road is like driving a 10-tonne truck through a pedestrian mall," says Greg Smith, regional director for the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP). "And nobody is doing enough to stop it."

"He points to the sides of the road: no crash barriers. In the middle of the road, there is no central reservation to prevent dangerous overtaking and stop the majority of the head-on collisions. No pedestrian footpaths, no footbridges, no traffic lights or speed controls."

"They built this road with absolutely no basic safety features," he says. "As an engineer I look at this road and all I see is a systematic failure. And this is a World Bank road. You would never ever build a road like this in a developed country. Why is it OK for it to be built with millions of pounds of international money here in Bangladesh? Because these people are poor and it doesn't matter?"

h/t Daniel Lippman

Saturday, December 8, 2012 in The Guardian

portrait of professional woman

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching. Mary G., Urban Planner

I love the variety of courses, many practical, and all richly illustrated. They have inspired many ideas that I've applied in practice, and in my own teaching.

Mary G., Urban Planner

Get top-rated, practical training

Close-up of "Apartment for rent" sign in red text on black background in front of blurred building

Trump Administration Could Effectively End Housing Voucher Program

Federal officials are eyeing major cuts to the Section 8 program that helps millions of low-income households pay rent.

April 21, 2025 - Housing Wire

Logo for Planetizen Federal Action Tracker with black and white image of U.S. Capitol with water ripple overlay.

Planetizen Federal Action Tracker

A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.

April 23, 2025 - Diana Ionescu

Ken Jennings stands in front of Snohomish County Community Transit bus.

Ken Jennings Launches Transit Web Series

The Jeopardy champ wants you to ride public transit.

April 20, 2025 - Streetsblog USA

Floor-to-ceiling rotating gates at Fairmount subway station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Crime Continues to Drop on Philly, San Francisco Transit Systems

SEPTA and BART both saw significant declines in violent crime in the first quarter of 2025.

April 28 - Mass Transit

South LA Wetlands Park in Los Angeles, California.

How South LA Green Spaces Power Community Health and Hope

Green spaces like South L.A. Wetlands Park are helping South Los Angeles residents promote healthy lifestyles, build community, and advocate for improvements that reflect local needs in historically underserved neighborhoods.

April 28 - ABC 7 Eyewitness News

Intersection in downtown Sacramento, California with neoclassical building with columns on left.

Sacramento Plans ‘Quick-Build’ Road Safety Projects

The city wants to accelerate small-scale safety improvements that use low-cost equipment to make an impact at dangerous intersections.

April 28 - The Sacramento Bee