Kathmandu, October 4
“The highway’s road surface – Nepal’s busiest route – is in fair to poor condition and does not segregate oncoming traffic or slow-moving vehicles and pedestrians,” the statement quoted transport specialist Johan Georget as saying. “Improving the road will boost the efficiency of Nepal’s transport system, strengthen national and regional connectivity to promote growth and trade, and improve road safety.”
Nepal’s road network, which includes eight north-south and three east-west corridors, carries more than 90 per cent of passengers and goods in the country, as per the statement. “An average of 8,600 vehicles ply the project road daily, with more than a quarter of them heavy vehicles. This average is forecast to grow to 25,400 vehicles a day by 2033.”
“The project will improve and rehabilitate about 87 km between Kanchanpur and Kamala on the East-West Highway, and will upgrade the highway section to a four-lane dual carriageway to cater to the projected increase of traffic demand, including a new road surface and drainage,” reads the statement. “Road safety will be significantly improved, as a centre median will reduce head-on collisions, while service lanes in populated areas will reduce rear-end, sideswipe, and side-on collisions, particularly for pedestrians, motorcycles, and cyclists.”
The project will also finance civil works and equipment packages to improve road safety along the entire 1,027 km of the East-West Highway, and support road safety campaigns, as per the statement. “The loan will also finance preparation of detailed designs for future road projects along the corridor.”
Accompanying the loan is an ADB technical assistance grant of $750,000 to help prepare a national road safety policy and action plan, strengthen the road safety council, carry out a road safety assessment of the corridor, identify the location of potential service areas, and promote gender equality measures in the transport sector, according to the statement.
The statement further said that the contractors are currently invited to purchase bidding documents and submit their proposals, and construction is expected to start in the first quarter of 2019. Similarly, civil works contracts will include a performance-based maintenance period of five years after completion of construction, which is due to finish in 2022.
The total project cost is $256.4 million, of which the government will provide $76.4 million, as per the statement.
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Written by Sandeep
This news first appeared on https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/adb-approves-180m-loan-to-improve-east-west-highway/ under the title “ADB approves $180m loan to improve East-West Highway”. Bolchha Nepal is not responsible or affiliated towards the opinion expressed in this news article.
