Historical development of roads in Nepal

Historical development of roads in Nepal

• Early period: for centuries only foot trails and mule tracks existed, linking the Kathmandu valley with Tibet and India. Trade routes through Kuti and Kerung were used by merchants and traders.
• Rana period (1846-1951): a few roads were built in the Kathmandu valley. Chandra Shamsher built the Raxaul-Amlekhgunj railway (1927), a motorable road from Amlekhgunj to Bhimphedi, and the Dhorsing (Bhimphedi)-Kathmandu ropeway. Motorable roads were limited to the valley and the Terai near the Indian border, and the first vehicles were carried into Kathmandu on porters' shoulders.
• After 1951: planned development started. The first major motorable road, the Tribhuvan Rajpath (Kathmandu-Naubise-Daman-Hetauda, connecting to Birgunj/Raxaul), was built with Indian help and completed in 1956. It was followed by the Kathmandu-Kodari Araniko Highway (Chinese help, 1967), the Prithvi Highway (Kathmandu-Pokhara, 1973), the Siddhartha Highway (Pokhara-Sunauli) and the east-west Mahendra Highway (about 1,000 km, built in phases from the 1960s onwards).
• Periodic plans since 1956 have given priority to roads; the Department of Roads (DoR) was formed in 1970, and the Nepal Road Standard (first issued in 1970 as NRS 2027, later revised as NRS 2070) guides design.
• Later, rural and district roads grew through district and village development programmes and the Local Road Network.

Present state

• The Strategic Road Network is about 14,000-17,000 km (as per DoR statistics; the exact length changes every year), and the total road network, including local roads, is many times larger.
• Many National Highways are only partly black-topped; some feeder roads are gravel or earthen, and some hill roads are not all-weather.
• Problems: landslides and floods, weak maintenance, limited funds, a high accident rate, and many roads not built to the design standard.

Government plans

• Complete the missing links of the Postal Highway (Hulaki Rajmarg), the Mid-Hill Highway (Pushpalal Lokmarg) and several north-south corridors to the Chinese and Indian borders.
• Build the Kathmandu-Terai (Madhesh) Fast Track expressway and widen the Mahendra Highway.
• Connect all district headquarters by black-topped roads and reduce travel time between major cities.
• Improve maintenance through the Roads Board and sector programmes, with road safety and bio-engineering measures.
• Strengthen local roads through provincial and local governments (details change with each national periodic plan).