The Nepalese Government is investing in roads around capital Kathmandu

A new road-widening strategy is being put into effect in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. The aim of this programme is to reduce traffic jams on busy roads, especially during peak hours. A major problem for Kathmandu is that the current road the infrastructure in the city is not sufficient for the increasing numbers of vehicles. In a bid to tackle the problem, the authorities have initiated a programme of road widening in various areas of Kathmandu Valley. However, obstructions have been encountered due to residen
May 16, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
A new road-widening strategy is being put into effect in Nepal’s Kathmandu Valley. The aim of this programme is to reduce traffic jams on busy roads, especially during peak hours. A major problem for Kathmandu is that the current road the infrastructure in the city is not sufficient for the increasing numbers of vehicles. In a bid to tackle the problem, the authorities have initiated a programme of road widening in various areas of Kathmandu Valley. However, obstructions have been encountered due to residences that have hampered the road expansion process. The widening work includes a 300m section of the Nanigunj Gairidhar road, a 280m section of the Gairidhara Chhata Ganesh road, a 1000m stretch of the Gairidhara-Baluwatar road, a 150m section of the Gairidhara-Police Headquarters link, a 240m stretch of the Chabhil service track, 400m of the Balaju Bypass, 320m of the Maitedevi Setopul road and an 875m section of the Hanumanthan New Baneshwor road. Some 3565m in all is being widened by the Department of Roads. The new roads will have asphalt concrete surfaces as well as 1.5m wide pedestrian pavements on either side.

The road widening action is being carried out in keeping with a supreme court directive along with the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority Act, which took effect on April 13,2012. The Nepalese Government has deputed 200 civil servants at the Kathmandu Valley Town  Development Committee. The authorities say that bulldozing of structures built on encroached land will continue. However, Nepal’s prime minister Dr Baburam Bhattari has criticised the official at the Ministry for physical planning and works over delays in road-widening imitative. In addition, the former mayor of Kathmandu Metropolitian city Keshab Sthapit has been appointed as a commissioner of the newly formed Kathmandu Valley Development Authority (KVDA). Sthapit was the mayor of Kathmandu for five years and now has the remit of ensuring that the road widening work is carried out more effectively.

Related Content

  • Nepal road transport plan finds funding
    February 27, 2017
    Nepal’s Kathmandu-Tarai highway now looks likely to be built under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract. This is a revision from the build-own-operate-transfer (BOOT) model previously suggested. Nepal's Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has announced the change for the project, which had an estimated cost of US$1.04 billion when put forward in 2015. The detailed project report (DPR) for the highway is likely to be set out by consortium, from India. The Nepalese Governm
    Read More
  • Russian bypass projects under construction
    October 5, 2018
    The Russian government is starting a major programme of building bypasses around large cities during the current financial year – Eugene Gerden writes The Russian government is starting a massive programme of building bypasses around the country’s biggest cities during this financial year. The aim is to address the problems of traffic jams and speeding traffic on federal routes, according to recent statements by the Russian Presidential Administration and some senior officials from the Ministry of Trans
    Read More
  • Nepalese road and bridge route
    April 25, 2012
    The new steel-truss bridge linking Simikot in Nepal’s Humla district headquarters has now been inaugurated. The road will link Nepal with Hilsa in China and the bridge will span the Karnali River. This bridge will be completed within a year and the Nepalese Government will award the road construction to the Nepalese Army to speed work. The road was started 10 years ago but progress was slow and could not be completed due to insufficient budget. Helicopters will have to be used to carry some of the construct
    Read More
  • Nepalese Government pushes ahead with transport infrastructure programme
    July 17, 2014
    The Nepalese Government has announced a major programme of transport infrastructure works for the 2014-2015 period. Road, highway and airport projects have all been prioritised. The detailed project report for the Kathmandu-Tarai Fast Track Road is to be completed within six months. The proposal aims to attract investors by guaranteeing a minimum number of vehicles using the tolled link. The project has been delayed due funding issues. This period will also see work being carried out the Mid-Hills Highway,
    Read More

Highlighted Content