Kathmandu, 21 September (H.S.): The Asian Development Bank (ADB) is set to provide nearly Rs 47 billion in Nepalese currency for the expansion and improvement of three major highways in Nepal. Two of the highways will be expanded, while road safety improvements will be undertaken on the third.

According to the Department of Roads, the ADB will provide a total of US$305 million (approximately Rs 46.70 billion) for the project. Of this amount, US$285 million will be provided as a loan and US$20 million as a grant.

The funds will be utilised for the expansion of the Narayangarh–Hetauda section of the East-West Highway, the Muglin–Abukhaireni section of the Prithvi Highway, and road safety and improvement works on the Karnali Highway.

Of the total amount, US$245 million will be allocated for the Narayangarh–Hetauda road section, US$30 million for the expansion of the Muglin–Abukhaireni section, and US$10 million for improvements to the Karnali Highway.

According to Chudharaj Dhakal, Project Director at the Project Directorate of the Department of Roads, negotiations between the Government of Nepal and the ADB regarding the loan and grant have been completed. The loan agreement between the Ministry of Finance and the ADB is scheduled to be signed in November.

Under the projects being implemented with concessional loan assistance from the ADB, a tender has already been issued for the expansion of the 70-kilometre Narayangarh–Hetauda road section.

The route, extending from the Rapti Bridge in Hetauda to Gondrang in Bharatpur, Chitwan, has been divided into three packages. The first package covers 40 kilometres within Makwanpur district, the second covers 26 kilometres from the Makwanpur border to Tikauli in Chitwan, and the third covers the four-kilometre stretch from Tikauli to Gondrang.

The road will be expanded to four lanes in accordance with Asian Highway standards. A nearly two-kilometre-long viaduct will be constructed in the Tikauli forest area.

Tikauli forest is part of the Barandabhar Corridor, an important biological corridor connecting the Chure mountain range in the south with the Mahabharat mountain range in the north. The corridor is linked to Chitwan National Park and provides a route for wildlife movement towards India’s Valmiki Tiger Reserve.

Wildlife faces the risk of being hit by vehicles while crossing the road, particularly because of high-speed traffic. Keeping this in view, the construction of a viaduct has been proposed at the site. Vehicles will pass over the viaduct, while wildlife will be able to cross the road underneath without obstruction.

The two-kilometre-long viaduct is planned to have 67 pillars, with approximately 30 metres between each pillar, providing sufficient space for wildlife to move through the corridor. The ADB will provide a US$20 million grant specifically for the construction of this viaduct.

The US$10 million loan from the ADB will be utilised for road safety improvements on the Karnali Highway. Approximately 682 kilometres long, the Karnali Highway passes through some of Nepal’s most remote and geographically challenging regions and is regarded as a high-risk highway because of the difficult terrain.

According to the Department of Roads, road safety improvements, widening, curve improvement, construction of barriers and drainage systems, along with other necessary works, will be carried out along approximately 73 kilometres of the Karnali Highway. These works will be financed through the ADB loan and 20 per cent of the loan amount to be provided by the Government of Nepal.

---------------

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar