HIGHWAY ENGINEERING NOTE

Introduction

Movement of people and goods from one place to another place with safe, easy, comfort, economical is known as transportation.

Movement of people is known as passenger transportation, whereas movement of goods is known as freight transportation.

Modes of transportation

There are two modes of transportation:
Primary Modes of Transportation:
There are four types of Primary modes of Transportation

1. Land-ways:
• Roadways: Roads, Highway, Street (Bus, Car,truck, motorcycle, etc)
• Railways: Rails (Wagon , train , container)
2. Waterways: River , Lake, sea, ocean (Ship, Boat , etc)
3. Airways : Air-route ( Aero-plane , Drone , Helicopter)
4. Space-ways : Space-route (Satellite , Rocket)

Secondary Modes

There are four types of Secondary modes of transportation

• Ropeways: Cable (car, carriage, cabin, chair , gondola)
• Pipeline: Pipe (Water , gas, sewer)
• Canal : Irrigation canal (Water)
• Belt Conveyor : Belt (Aggregates in crusher plant)

Since, over 80% population of the country living in the villages, the development in urban areas alone do not indicate the overall development of the country.

• Only with the improvement in transportation facilities in rural areas, there could be faster development of rural centres.
• The fertilizers and other inputs for agriculture and cottage industries could reach the rural population easily and similarly the products can be sold at the nearest marketing centres for more remunerative price resulting in faster economic growth and decreased wastage.
• Through the proper facility of transportation, the education, health care and other social needs in the village are increased and hence migration to urban centres decreases. Due to increase of such facilities helping in balance development of the country

The development of roads in Nepal has evolved over time, transitioning from ancient trails to modern highways, significantly improving connectivity and transportation.

Ancient Trails and Trade Routes

• Before the construction of modern roads, Nepal relied on traditional trails and trade routes for transportation.
• Major trade routes connected Nepal to India and Tibet, such as the Kuti Pass, Tatopani route, and Karnali route.
• People traveled on foot, used mules, and carried goods manually.

Early Road Construction (Before 1950s)

• Until the mid-20th century, there were no proper motorable roads in Nepal.
• Rana rulers prioritized isolation, limiting road construction.
• Some short roads existed within Kathmandu Valley, but they were not linked to other regions.

Beginning of Modern Road Development (1950s-1970s)

• After the end of the Rana regime in 1951, Nepal focused on infrastructure development.
• The first motorable road, Tribhuvan Highway, was built in 1956 with Indian assistance, connecting Kathmandu to Raxaul (India).
• During King Mahendra’s rule, road expansion continued with highways like Prithvi Highway and Siddhartha Highway.

Expansion of Road Networks (1980s-2000s)

• East-West Highway (Mahendra Highway), Nepal's longest highway, was constructed, linking the entire Terai region.
• International support from countries like China, India, and Japan helped in road expansion.
• Rural road development programs were launched to improve access to remote areas.

Recent Developments and Challenges (2000s-Present)

• Projects like Mid-Hill Highway and Postal Highway aim to enhance connectivity across Nepal.
• Increased focus on blacktopped roads, bridges, and tunnel construction.
• Challenges include landslides, difficult mountainous terrain, and road maintenance issues.
• Efforts continue for road widening, expressway construction, and sustainable road development.

As per NRS-2070, road in Nepal is classified into two types:

1. Administrative Classification
2. Functional /Technical Classification
Administrative Classification

As per Administrative classification , there are four types of road and they are:


• National Highway/Highway/Trunk Road/Rajmarg

  The road along the length of the country or across the width of the country is known as Highway.The important or major road of a country is Highway. National Highway are designated by Capital Letter “NH” followed by two(2) digit number. Eg: NH01 = Mahendra Rajmarga (East-West Highway) (1028 km) (AH2) , from Mechi bridge, Jhapa Border to Gaddachowki Border, Kanchanpur. There are Eighty (80) numbers of National Highway in Nepal.

• Feeder Roads:

  The road departing from Highway and connecting to Zonal Headquarter, District Headquarter, Economic centre or tourism area is known as feeder roads. Feeder roads are designated by Capital Letter “F” followed by three(3) digit number.Eg: F001 = Birtamod to Chandragadhi ,Bhadrapur,12.53 km There are 208 numbers of Feeder roads in Nepal.

• District Road

  The roads within the district is known as District road. District roads are represented by capital letter “DR”District Roads are important roads within a district serving areas of production and markets, and connecting with each other or with the main highways.There are 77 District roads in Nepal.

• Urban Roads

  The roads within the metropolitan city, sub-metropolitan city, municipality or town development board is known as Urban roads. Urban road are specially also known as streetA roughly circumferential roads build around an Urban areas is known as Ring Road