This project, with a total cost of US$ 92.74 million (IDA, the government of Sierra Leone and five other donors) was declared effective in 1993 and closed in 2001, with country operations being suspended in 1998 and 1999 due to the security situation. The main objectives were: (i) to remove physical bottlenecks in the country's transport network through a sustainable road rehabilitation program; (ii) to build institutional capacity to better plan and manage the repair and maintenance of roads and promote a sustainable system for funding and road maintenance; (iii) to strengthen transport sector institutions and to foster market-oriented policies; (iv) to encourage new methods of infrastructure rehabilitation and maintenance, using labor-intensive technology and local resources, in order to increase employment generation and to provide sustainable maintenance systems; (v) to increase the share of private sector participation in road maintenance and develop the capacity of small contractors to maintain the road network; and (vi) to promote the use of non-motorized transport to reduce head-loading by women and to increase rural mobility, improving transport services available for the rural poor.