DHAKA, Oct. 26 (Xinhua) -- The World Bank has approved 425 million U.S. dollars to improve road connections in Bangladesh through building, maintaining and improving rural bridges in a program that will benefit two-thirds of the country's people.

The Operation For Supporting Rural Bridges Program will maintain 85,000 meters of bridges, widen or rehabilitate 29,000 meters of bridges and build another 20,000 meters of new bridges, said the Washington-based lender in a statement received here Friday.

It said the program will also create jobs for local people by generating about 5.5 million person-days of employment, including long-term maintenance work.

According to the statement, the program will support the government's existing program for developing and maintaining rural bridges.

"By bridging the missing links in Bangladesh's rural road network, the program will enable rural communities living in remote areas to have better road connections," said Qimiao Fan, World Bank country director for Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal.

"This will help millions of rural people access markets, hospitals, and schools as well as create new opportunities for livelihoods."