master Plan

1. Nepal is a developing country facing major problems in its effort to make progress.
The country's slow economic growth rate has tremendously affected the living condition of the
people.
Due to low performance level of the economy, the per capita income is also very low US$220 per
annum. As a result, the incidence of poverty is alarming (38%).
Nepal's development programmes have been highly supported by donors' assistance.
Nepal is facing a number of constraints in managing the public resources, due to an excess
expenditure, domestic inflation, reduction in service delivery and the declining performance of the
public and private sectors.
The Ninth Plan has envisaged a major long-term development objective of creating a
society that is cultured, modern and development-oriented endowed with skills for
alleviating the prevailing widespread poverty in the country.
In order to achieve this objective, the government has targeted to achieve the annual growth rate of
6 percent in the Ninth Plan, 7.0 percent in the Tenth Plan, 7.5 percent in the Eleventh Plan and 8.3
percent in the Twelfth Plan

2. The Plan has adopted five main objectives for the development of the
Strategic Road Network (SRN). These are:
(a) strengthening political and administrative linkages,
(b) poverty alleviation,
(c) development and utilisation of social, economic and cultural potentials,
(d) minimisation of total transportation cost and
(e) minimisation of adverse effects on the environment.

3. In order to achieve the above objectives, the following strategies have been formulated.
These are :
(a) connect by road the district headquarters,
(b) provide road links to the district headquarters with adjacent road network of the neighbouring
country,
(c) provide road access to centres of pilgrimage, areas with hydropower potential, flourishing
centres of trade, industry and commerce, centres of tourism and recreation, areas of agricultural
potentials, areas of mines and other resources and attract the private sector in the construction,
maintenance and operation of SRN,
(d) provide reasonable level of service,
(e) adopt philosophy of stage construction, if otherwise not warranted,
(f) adopt norms, standards and designs conducive to the environment,
(g) maximum use of local materials, labour and expertise in all stages of design, construction and
maintenance,
(h) minimise traffic congestion and delays,
(i) use construction materials and technology having least adverse effects,
(j) assess the probability and magnitude of the adverse effects and apply suitable mitigation
measures and
(k) improvement of strategic road network.

4. Under each strategy definite programmes for the extension of strategic road network have been
worked out.
Similarly, for the improvement of the Strategic Road Network, three categories of the
improvement activities have been formulated. They are:
(a) provision of traffic management facilities,
(b) widening of roads,
(c) upgrading of roads
*NOTES:-
Traffic Growth, Technical considerations of one rout over another, consider RUC i.e., VOC, TTC and
AC, traffic counting, delay calculations and OD surveys.
Widening of the Strategic Road Network may be proposed on the basis of normal traffic forecast
and lane capacity of the roads, whereas upgrading is proposed on the basis of threshold
traffic levels. For a long term traffic management i.e. handling of traffic problems including control
of overloading, use of old vehicles and accidents etc., a traffic management cell should be created.

5. The programme of constructing bridges has been divided into four parts. They are
(a) bridges under construction,
(b) bridges along roads connecting the district headquarters,
(c) bridges along the strategic road planned for construction in fair weather standard and
(d) bridges along strategic roads which are to be upgraded to all weather standard in
20-year period.
SOME IDEAS:
Priority to ongoing or under construction bridges, construction of bridges lying on the roads linking
the district HQs, bridges construction along planned fair weather roads is divided into two phases
considering any prioritization criteria

6. The environmental assessment of all the development projects is required,
The type of assessment depends upon the location, size and nature of the project.
The environmental assessments are required to be approved by the Ministry.
For the projection of the availability of the resources for roads sub-sector the following
three sources have been considered.
1. The foreign contribution to the roads development budget
2. The government must take steps required to establish a Road Fund Board consisting of public and
private representatives under the Road Board.
3. Government Budget.
The following probable sources of additional revenue can be investigated.
• Land development tax
• Lease out the Right of Way (ROW) land
• Revenues from auction of trees/timber, fruit, etc located within the ROW

7. The Maintenance plans have to be developed based on:
1. Expected status of Strategic Road Network at the end of Xth Five Year Plan
2. Construction of new road approx. XY km per year
3. Upgrading of existing network (e.g. from earthen to gravel and from gravel to black top
surface)
4. Cyclic concept of recurrent and periodic maintenance.

8. SOME POINTS TO BE CONSIDERED:
1. Routine and recurrent maintenance and minor repair works of bridges and other roadway
structures, has to be identified prioritized and separate budget has to be worked out.
2. There need to plan to replace all expansion joints and bearings within XY years. The cost
estimated need to be identified.
3. Repair of cracks and spalling are proposed to be carried out with in XY plan.
4. Purchase Bailey bridges and store them in safe places so that they could be used in an emergency
**Calculation of total budget required for the above works.

9. The previous practice of construction without planned maintenance led to early
rehabilitation or reconstruction. This proved burdensome to the state as the cost of
rehabilitation/reconstruction is 3 to 5 times more than the maintenance cost.
Realising this fact, the Government need to change this practice and has to introduce the policy of
planned maintenance.
Certain road links of the Strategic Network were built to the standard higher than required
from the economic point of view. Economic consideration may not justify to maintain these
road links to the same standard.
Adopts the policy of maintaining the Strategic Road Network close to the constructed standard as far
as possible irrespective of traffic
flows in the network.

10. DEVELOPMENT OF MASTER PLAN
Analysis of existing conditions
Development assumptions
Description of proposed plan
Recommendation for development