Millions of dollars is to be spent to improve the safety and sustainability of key roads on Kiribati's main island.
The Asian Development Bank along with the World Bank and the Pacific Regional Infrastructure Facility is providing the funding for the improvements.
They will see 27 point five kilometres of main road and 6 kilometres of feeder roads on South Tarawa rehabilitated, with the ADB providing 12 million US dollars in low cost loans, spread over 32 years, towards the project.
It says by improving the condition of the country's most important road 42 percent of Kiribati's population will be better connected to clinics, markets and other services in the capital, Bairiki.