ROAD CONSTRUCTION AND PROCEDURE

PRACTICE IN NEPAL
Submitted By :
Purna Bhahadur Baduwal (019-071)

Prashant Timilsena (019-070

Prashant Neupane (019-086)

In partial fulfillment for the award of the degree of Bachelor in civil

engineering

Advisor

Mr. Sushil Acharya

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINNERING

NEPAL ENGINEERING COLLEGE

(Affiliated to Pokhara University)

CHANGUNARAYAN, BHAKTAPUR

(JANUARY,2022)
 ACKNOWEDGEMENT

The success and final outcome of this project required a lot of guidance and
assistance from many people and we are extremely privileged to have got this all
along the completion of our project. All that we have done is only due to such
supervision and assistance and we would not forget to thank them. I respect and
thank Mr. Sushil Acharya for providing us an opportunity to do the project work
in Road Construction and procedure practice in Nepal. Its Development in Nepal
and giving us all support and guidance, which made us complete the project duly.
We are extremely thankful for providing such a good guidance. We owe our deep
gratitude to our project supervisor Mr. Sushil Acharya, for guiding us all along,
till the completion of our project work by providing all the necessary information
for developing a good system.

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 TABLE OF CONTENT

ACKNOWEDGEMENT.............................................................................................................................................................i

TABLE OF CONTENT.............................................................................................................................................................ii

LIST OF TABLES....................................................................................................................................................................iv

LIST OF FIGURES....................................................................................................................................................................v

1 INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................................................................1

1.1 Background..........................................................................................................................................................1

1.2 Objectives.............................................................................................................................................................5

2 LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................................................................................6

2.1 Introduction to Highway......................................................................................................................................6

2.2 Current status of National Road Network............................................................................................................7

2.3 Task to accomplish...............................................................................................................................................8

2.4 Clearing, Grubbing and excavation......................................................................................................................8

2.5 Embankment.........................................................................................................................................................8

2.6 Subgrade...............................................................................................................................................................9

2.7 Pavement Layers..................................................................................................................................................9

2.8 Bituminous Layers and Mixes............................................................................................................................10

2.9 Concrete Including Reinforcement....................................................................................................................12

3 METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................................................................14

3.1 Flowchart............................................................................................................................................................14

3.2 Methods: The “How” of a Project......................................................................................................................15

3.2.1 Primary method.......................................................................................................................................16

3.2.2 Secondary method...................................................................................................................................16

4 TIME AND SCHEDULE.............................................................................................................................................17

4.1 Gantt chart..........................................................................................................................................................17

5 POSSIBLE OUTCOMES.............................................................................................................................................18

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6 REFERENCE...............................................................................................................................................................20

iii
 LIST OF TABLES

Table 4.1 Gantt chart..............................................................17

iv
 LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 2.1 Road construction...................................................6

2.2 Road construction………………………………..11
Figure 3.1 Flowchart showing the work flow........................14

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 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Roads are an integral part of the transport system. A country's road network should be
efficient in order to maximize economic and social benefit & They play a significant role in
achieving national development and contributing to the overall performance and social
functioning of the community. It is acknowledged that roads enhance mobility, taking people
out of isolation and therefore poverty. An important infrastructure required for development to
take place is indubitably road development. Roads are the arteries of development. The
development of roads has a domino effect on other sectors. In other words, the development of
roads results in the development of other sectors, such as tourism, agriculture, commerce and
industry.

For a developing country like, Nepal, roads play vital roles in lifting up the country’s
economic condition. The history of road construction in Nepal is not long. The road
between Amlekhgunj and Bhimphedi constructed back in and around 1930 A. D. (1986
B. S) can be considered as the first road in Nepal. However, after the political change of
1950 (2007 B. S.) with establishment of democracy, road development was given emphasis
with priority. The road strategies established after
B.S 2007 included:

 Construction of road between Kathmandu and Indian Boarder.

 Construction of East –West Highway.
 Highways linking Kathmandu to Chinese boarder.
 Development of roads to connect economical potential areas.
 To connect zonal and district headquarters with East west Highway.

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Recently plastic road technology has been experimented in Pokhara on a small stretch of a road. This
should be verified and if desirable, other cities can adopt the technology.

Roads made of recycled plastics are the future of the world. Urban development has made massive
use of plastic materials which are now creating huge environmental threat due to its non-
decomposable nature. Reusing plastic is not an easy task. Not only in Kathmandu but also all around
the globe, it has become a burning problem. Plastic garbage in mega-cities, in rivers and oceans, has
emerged as a big environmental issue.

What could be the solution then ?

May be it’s a time we started paying attention to plastic road technology. This is a fact that
we need a good road which are list affected by rain water and water stagnation, have no
stripping with no potholes, strong list cracking and can be constructed in less time and
cheaply. All these properties of such road is in plastic road. Plastic roads are different from
standard roads as the latter are made from asphalt concrete, which consists of mineral
aggregates and asphalt. The technology of plastic roads is relatively new but rapidly growing.

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The technology was developed by the “Plastic Man” of India, Rajagopalan
Vasudevan, a professor of chemistry at Thiagarajan College of Engineering,
Madurai. He developed the technology in 2002 and first built a plastic road in his
college.

Vasudevan’s inclination to keep experimenting led to yet another innovation. He

decided to try creating a stone block with plastic coating and, in 2012, “plastron”
came into existence. A plastron block is made from a mixture of waste plastic and
stone. It has been found to withstand more pressure and it resists water
percolation. In the professor’s department of chemistry, they have made plastron
blocks using granite and ceramic waste, along with plastic waste. Plastic roads are
now constructed in many countries like India, Nigeria, Australia, the Netherlands,
Kenya and Ghana among others.

At least 11 states of India have used the technology to build more than 100,000
kilometers of roads. The government of India ordered in November 2015 that all
road developers in the country use waste plastic, along with bituminous mixes, for
road construction.

The most attractive feature of a plastic road for Nepal is its low operating cost and
durability. It is cheaper as it uses recycled, post-consumer plastics than asphalt.
Plastic-bitumen composite roads have better wear resistance than standard asphalt
concrete roads. They do not absorb water and have better flexibility, which results
in less rutting and less need for repair.

Road surfaces remain smooth, need minimal maintenance and absorb sound
better. The use of plastic in road construction reduces the amount of asphalt. This
is beneficial to the environment since asphalt is responsible for 2 per cent of
global carbon emissions.

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A study report published in a journal of Indian Engineering and Technology in
February 2017 shows that the use of plastic saves Rs 320,000 per kilometer of
road compared to the traditional method. This means if we are to pave road from
Kathmandu to Kerung boarder, which is about 175km, it will save us Rs56
million.

Plastic roads have a hollow space that can be used to (temporarily) store water,
thus preventing flooding during extreme precipitation. The hollow space can also
be used for the transit of cables and pipes, thus preventing excavation damage.
The patch-up process for potholes is very easy as roads can be created as
individual pieces (sections), which can be switched out in case of damage. This is
different from traditional ways of road repair.

1.2 Objectives

The identified objectives are:

 Strengthen transport planning at the National Level

 Decentralize road network administration
 Increase implementation capacity
 Maximize the benefits from available resources
 Provide transport services related to need
 Obtain a greater direct contribution to road costs from the users
 Give due consideration to environmental aspects.

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 2 LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction to Highway

The first motorable road was constructed in the Kathmandu valley in 1924. In 1950s the road
length of the country was only 376km. The government of Nepal has given high priority to
the development of roads since the beginning of the planned development programmers in
1956.Linking of Kathmandu with the southern border was taken up in 1953 with Indian
assistance and was opened for traffic in 1956. The government of china constructed the
Kathmandu-kodari road in1966. In 1992 there were only 325 km of motor-able road in the
Kathmandu. The national highways together with the feeder roads constitute the strategic
road network of the country. The district roads together with the village roads constitute the
district road network.

During rana regime before democracy of 2007 B.S., Construction and

Maintenance of Roads in Kathmandu were carried out. Towards the end of rana
regime, a new office named NayaBatokajAdda was created constructing new
roads and it had begun survey for connecting Kathmandu to Hetauda in 2007 B.S.
there was no blacktop road in the country.

Figure 2.1 Road construction

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There were different highways made. The mid hill highway was started from 2062
B.S. Mahendra Highway is longest highway in Nepal. It links Eastern border with

Fig 2.2 : Road construction.

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India to Western border with India. The East Pont is at Kakarbhitta. It is also an
Exit point to Northeast India including Darjeeling and Sikkim. The West Point is
at Mahendra Nagar. The Araniko Highway road was built in the 1960s with help
from the Chinese on an older yak track. They also planned to expand the road in
2012, but keeping the route open was made more difficult by landslides from
monsoons. The road became a conduit for a large amount of trade between China
and Nepal, and also for some trade between India and China when it is open.
Postal Highway also called Hulaki Raj Marg runs across the Terai region of
Nepal, from KechanaKawal, Jhapa in the east to Dodhara, Kanchanpur in the
west, cutting across the entire width of the country. It is the Oldest highway in
Nepal constructed by Juddha Shumsher Jung Bahadur Rana & Padma Shumsher
Jung Bahadur Rana to aid transportation and facilitate postal services throughout
the nation. Different roads are constructed more and more in present.

2.2 Current status of National Road Network

The National Road Network comprises of National Highways, Feeder roads,

Urban roads, District roads and Village roads. The National Highways together
with the Feeder roads form the Strategic Road Network (SRN) of the country. The
Strategic Road Network is the backbone of the National Road Network. The
construction and maintenance of the Strategic roads fall on the responsibility of
the Department of Roads (DOR). While District roads together with Village roads
forms the District Road Network. The National Road Network comprises 15308
km roads including 4977 km Strategic roads, 1984 km Urban roads and 8347 km
District roads. Thus, the Strategic, Urban and District roads have 32.5%, 13% and
54.5% share respectively in the National Road Network. There is no even
distribution of roads in all Development regions and Physiographic zones of the
country due to varied topography and settlement patterns. The Central
Development Region has the highest road network followed by Eastern, Western,
Midwestern and Far Western Development Regions of the country. Similarly, the
Terai has the highest road network followed by Hills and Mountains. Furthermore,
the distribution of roads in same Physiographic zone of the different
Development regions is also different.

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The road density per 10000 population and 100 square km of land are 6.68 and
10.4 km respectively in Nepal.

2.3 Task to accomplish

Having a clear description of the methods that will be used to accomplish your
project objectives will make a strong application even more competitive.
Developing a methodology is not only helpful to the funding agency, but also
allows you to definitively address how you expect to use awarded funds to fulfill
your project’s purpose. This publication details the purpose of the methodology as
a part of the proposal narrative and what it should address.

2.4 Clearing, Grubbing and excavation

Key Points

 Before any construction the roadway must be cleared of all vegetation and
trees including their roots removed.
 Cross sections should be taken prior to any excavation works.
 All construction works must be carried out in as safe a manner as possible.
 Excavated suitable materials should be used when possible in the works.
 Provision has to be made for drainage of the temporary and permanent
works.
 Soil containing vegetable matter is not suitable as fill material.
 Borrow pits should not affect the stability of the road, or any other structure.

2.5 Embankment

Key Points

 All fill materials must be free from vegetable matter and the material must
be approved as suitable.
 The material should be of an appropriate nature and at a moisture content
that it can be compacted to form a stable layer.

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  Generally, embankments should be constructed in 150 mm compacted
layers parallel to the finished grade of the road.
 For each completed layer the density should be checked (One test for each
1,000 square meters) by laboratory personnel. If test results show the
required density is not achieved further compaction is necessary
 Any soft areas must be rectified before further material is placed. Each
earthworks layer requires to be approved before the next layer can be
started

2.6 Subgrade

Key Points

 All subgrade material must be free from vegetable matter.

 The subgrade must be shaped to the required profile.
 The subgrade should be of an appropriate material and at a moisture
content that it can be compacted to form a stable layer, for the full width of
the embankment.
 Three tests to check the compaction for each 1,000 square metres should
be completed. If the results show the required density is not achieved
further compaction is necessary.
 When specified, subgrade drains should be constructed to the edge of the
embankment.
 The compacted subgrade layer requires to be approved with any soft areas
being rectified, before work can start on the pavement.

2.7 Pavement Layers

Key points

 At least seven days before a proposed material's use a sample of the

material along with laboratory test results have to be submitted by the
contractor to the Engineer for approval. Fresh approval is required if the
material is changed.

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  The material for sub base and base must be graded, with sufficient fines
that they can be properly compacted. All areas of segregated coarse or fine
material must be corrected, or removed and replaced with complying
material.
 Continued checks on materials must be carried out throughout the contract
period. If the materials’ tests indicate changes have occurred the contractor
and the Engineer must be immediately informed.
 The moisture content of the material at the time of compaction must be
appropriate to produce a dense compacted layer.
 If a pavement layer, does not conform with the thickness or tolerance
required, the layer must be corrected. Once the correction is completed the
area should be rechecked to ensure it conforms to the correct depth, cross
fall and degree of compaction.
 Each layer should be tested for compaction (3 tests for each 1000 square
meters). If the test results show that the required density is not achieved,
further compaction must be undertaken.
 Each layer of pavement must be shaped, compacted and approved ahead of
the placing of subsequent material.

2.8 Bituminous Layers and Mixes

Key points

 At least 14 days in advance of a proposed material’s use, samples of the

material along with laboratory test results should be submitted to the
Engineer. If approved, the contractor should then carry out trial mixes.
 The surface upon which the bitumen or bituminous mixture is to be placed
must be thoroughly cleaned immediately before the bitumen or mixture is
placed.
 Bituminous materials should be placed only when the surface is dry, when
rain does not appear imminent and when the prepared roadbed is in a
satisfactory condition.

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 The entire surface to be primed must be covered evenly. Prior to any
spraying, the nozzles on the spray bar of the distributor should be checked
to ensure that they are all working. Where appropriate the distributor
should be calibrated to ensure the required rate of spray is achieved.
Depending on the nature of the surface to be primed a light application of
water just prior to priming may be beneficial to aid penetration of the
bituminous material.
 No bituminous mixtures should be placed until the prime coat has dried.
 Tack coat may need to be applied to make the road surface sticky prior to
the bituminous carpeting layer being placed.
 No dense bituminous surfacing can occur until both the job mixes formula
and the trial sections have been approved.
 Thereafter all asphalt work is required to follow the approved Job Mix
formula and the procedures established by the approved trials.
 Each day dense bituminous surfacing is laid, three Marshall specimens
should be prepared and tested (STP 10.9.10.10). Samples to be collected
from either the plant or the laid mat, as directed by the Engineer. Samples
should also be taken each day to determine the mix composition
(Extraction of bitumen test and grading, STP 10.4.72).
 All equipment proposed to be used by the Contractor requires to be in
good condition and operated by competent and experienced operatives.
 Dense bituminous surfacing must be thoroughly compacted as soon as the
material will support the roller without undue displacement or cracking.
Excess use of water on the roller drums is to be avoid as this cools the
asphalt mat.
 The surface of the mixture after compaction must be close and tight, and
free from dragging cracks. Any mixture that is defective should be
removed and replaced with fresh hot material, which should be compacted
immediately.
 After final rolling, samples should be cut from areas of bituminous
surfacing for density and thickness measurement at 50m intervals. Where
samples have been taken, fresh material must be placed and thoroughly
compacted.

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2.9 Concrete Including Reinforcement

Key points

 At least 14 days before a material is proposed to be used samples of the

material along with laboratory test results should be submitted to the
Engineer. If approved, the contractor should carry out trial mixes.
 Until a trial mix for a type of concrete has been approved (by the
Engineer), no concrete of that class may be placed in the Works.
 Continued checks on materials should occur throughout the contract
period. If tests indicate changes have occurred the Contractor must be
notified and the Engineer informed immediately.
 Reinforcement must be free from dirt, oil, grease, paint, and loose or thick
rust.
 All reinforcement must be placed, supported and secured at the locations
shown on the Drawings prior to any concreting operations, using pre-cast
cover blocks.
 At least 24 hours before any proposed pour the Contractor must provide
notification in writing. The reinforcement, materials and equipment must
then be checked and the
 contractor informed of aspects that need to be corrected, or rectified. Only
after correction should the concrete pour be allowed to proceed.
 Within 20 minutes of the mixing being completed, concrete must reach its
final position in the forms. The concrete requires to be placed to avoid
segregation of the materials.
 Concrete must be thoroughly compacted by mechanical vibration
immediately the concrete is placed in the forms. Enough vibrators must be
on site for this to be achieved.
 Temperature of concrete at the time of placing shall not exceed 350C.
 Three concrete cubes or cylinders should be taken for each day casting, or
for large pours for every 15m³ concrete placed. The samples should be
taken

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 at random to ensure all the concrete placed in the Works meets the
specified requirements.
 All surfaces must be kept thoroughly wet for 7 days after concrete is
placed. Thereafter the concrete must be watered daily for the following 2
weeks to prevent the concrete drying out.

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 3 METHODOLOGY

3.1 Flowchart

Literature review

Data collection

Primary Method Secondary method

Data analysis

Report, Preparation and

submission

Figure 3.1 Flowchart showing the work flow

Having a clear description of the methods that will be used to accomplish your
project objectives will make a strong application even more competitive.
Developing a methodology is not only helpful to the funding agency, but also
allows you to definitively address how you expect to use awarded funds to
fulfill your

14
project’s purpose. This publication details the purpose of the methodology as a
part of the proposal narrative and what it should address.

3.2 Methods: The “How” of a Project

As a part of the proposal narrative, the methodology is where you can clearly
outline how you will use the requested funds to accomplish your project’s
objectives. It is the component in the proposal narrative where you bridge the gap
between the objectives and the eventual outcome. It is also where you demonstrate
your project’s feasibility by detailing your experiences and resources that will be
drawn upon to carry out the project.

The bulk of your methodology discussion should contain detailed descriptions of

what project activities will be conducted and how they will be carried out. As your
“plan of attack,” your proposed methodology shows the funding agency that you
have a logical and well-thought-out plan to carry out reasonable project activities
that will lead to the desired outcome. The methods you describe should be
presented in a coherent manner, naturally progressing from start to finish.

In addition, the methodology should be justifiable or have some form of expert

approval to support the viability of the project. This could be documented through
studies related to feasibility, market analyses, site control, surveys, data collection,
and other forms of justification. The methodology should also demonstrate the
resources that you have available to achieve your project objectives, such as a
description of personnel needed and how they will be selected. You can use this
section of the narrative to detail any financial and/or in-kind resources and the
clientele to be served. Clearly documenting any and all resources available to a
project will validate your ability to carry out and accomplish a project.

Another important issue to keep in mind is that all project needs must be reflected
in the project budget. Having a logical project methodology within a proposal
narrative is a vital part of a complete proposal narrative. Painting a vivid picture
of how a project will be accomplished will not only demonstrate a carefully
planned application, but will also provide the funding agency with evidence of
your capacity

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to produce the desired results. In other words, submitting an application with a
detailed yet clear project methodology will increase your chances of securing the
funding needed to make your project possible.

Construction methodology refers to the planned method of construction, taking

into account all contractual and legal requirements, construction constraints, risks,
and opportunities. Methodology includes the temporary and permanent works and
the services required to complete the construction works.

Here, we have two methodology and they are:

3.2.1 Primary method

It is defined as a methodology used by researchers to collect data directly, rather
than depending on data collected from previously done research.

Under this we will visit department of road division of Nepal government,

ministry of physical infrastructure and transport. We will take interview to the
related project holders, ministers, engineering consultants.

3.2.2 Secondary method

Secondary method or desk research is a research method that involves using
already existing data. Secondary research includes research material published in
research reports and similar documents. These documents can be made available
by public libraries, websites, data obtained from already filled in surveys etc.

Under this we will collect information from daily newspapers, magazine articles,
television news, through books, project proposals etc.

Methodology is simply the means by which we collect and analyze data. Thus,
how we arrive at results is just as important as the results alone. The importance is
associated with not only the validity of the research itself but also the means by
which others can replicate what we've done in the research.

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 4 TIME AND SCHEDULE

4.1Gantt chart

Week Week Week Week Week

Description 1 2 3 4 5-6
Literature review

Data collection

Data analysis

Report, preparation and

submission

Table 4.1 Gantt chart

Literature review: For this proposal it took one week for the preparation for this
section.

Data Collection: For this portion it took two weeks. Here, we collected data in
two ways one is primary and other is secondary method. Under primary we visited
construction site and under secondary we found standard data through books,
articles, newspaper etc.

Data analysis: During the collection of data we started our data analysis so it took
nearby two weeks for the preparation of this portion.

Report, preparation and submission: After we completed our data analysis we

are started to prepare and we are ready for submission.so this portion took nearby
one week for completion.

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 5 POSSIBLE OUTCOMES

It is evident from the history of economic development in many countries that it is

the social and productive sectors of the economy that influence the development
of transport and related infrastructure in a country. In the context of Nepal, major
objective of transport planning is to meet the transport needs of urban and rural
areas and to provide transport infrastructure necessary for the growth of the
economy and accessibility to remote and backward areas. This requires integrated
development of all modes of transport to provide service at the least cost to the
economy. Sustainable socio-economic development of a country would be
possible through the integration of environmental aspects in the development
policy and plan. Various countries have tuned their socioeconomic development
accordingly. There is growing interest in sustainability, sustainable development,
and sustainable transportation. Urbanization is a basis for the socio-economic
development of a country but the development of sustainable pattern of
urbanization has been a major problem for every country, especially for
development countries. It has been now realized that integration of environmental
aspects in urbanization is important for sustainable urbanization. Urban Transport
is one of the key components of urbanization and acts as an important determinant
of the quality of urban life. Thus, incorporation of environmental policies and
aspects in Urban Transportation is immense & the policy should be such that
urban transportation needs are met without generating emissions that threaten
public health, preserves integrity of essential ecological process and minimize
physical and biological stress by staying within the assimilative and regenerative
capacities of ecosystems. The demand for transport in general and roads in
particular depends on a number of economic variables such as GDP, per capita
income, population, agricultural and industrial production, and exports and
imports of the country. In addition, it depends on the structural characteristics and
expected transformation of the economy in future. Based on these variables, if the
demand for transport of a country can be estimated correctly, it will be possible to
ascertain the need for physical and infrastructure facilities and make judicious
allocation of funds to different transport sub-sectors.

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Sustainability planning may require changing the way people think about and
solve transportation problems.

Road travel is almost a nightmare in Nepal. While travelling to various parts of

the country, one has to carry one’s life in one’s hands. Road travel is too
precarious in the hilly areas. It is not that the government is not aware of this, but
it does not bother to deem it necessary to maintain or construct roads in the hilly
and other areas.

Road development should, therefore, be the top priority of the government. The
government, in close coordination with development planners and other concerned
stakeholders, should formulate development plans in such a way that almost all
the areas of the country are connected with one another. Proper road connectivity
will definitely spur the development of other sectors, thus leading to overall
national development.

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 6 REFERENCE

[1] Report: 20-year Road plan, Nepal Engineering Consultancy Services Center
(NEPECON), 2001.

[2] NRS 2045: Nepal Roads Standards, Kathmandu, Department of Roads,2045 BS

[3] Source, Newspaper, The Himalayans Times. Source, Newspaper, The Rising
Nepal.

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