"The additional road upgrades will give distant communities easier access to services, including schools, health clinics, and markets," Chen Chen, from ADB;s South Asia Department said in a statement.
"Faster connectivity to the south, including the capital Colombo, will cut travel costs and open up new economic and employment opportunities."
The ADB said the additional financing will allow 230 kilometres of national and provincial road to be rehabilitated adding to an existing project involving rehabilitating 300 kilometres of roads.
"Reducing long travel times spent on family tasks will free women up to pursue more productive income-earning activities," the ADB said.
"The project will also tap local labor for road works, including a target of at least 10 percent of jobs for road maintenance going to women."
The ADB will give 30 million US dollars from its ordinary capital resources window and a 68 million dollar equivalent concessional Asian Development Fund loan.Another 20 million dollars will come from surplus funds earmarked for the original project, which was approved in 2010.
Technical assistance of one million US dollars will be given to support road oversight agencies. The extended project is set to be finished by the end of 2017.
