NEWS LETTER

Department of Roads (DoR)

E-mail: [email protected] Vol. 30
Website: www.dor.gov.np April 2023

Table of Contents

1 Appointment of new Director General 1 6 Field Verification of Asphalt Mixtures 11

2 Major achievements during tenure 2 7 An Overview of Comparison between Marshall and 18

of former DG Arjun Jung Thapa Superpave Mix Design Methods

3 Budget Expenditure and Progress 2 8 Road Safety Status in Nepal 21

(2nd Trimester 2079/80)
9 Legal Requirements for Removal of Trees and 23
4 Design and Construction of Three Span Continuous 3 Acquisition of Forest Area in Road Projects
Open Spandrel Concrete Deck Arch Bridge
10 Photographs of few works in Fiscal Years 2079-80 27
5 Shortest Distance Calculator: An implementation 7
example at the DOR

1. Appointment of new Director General 3) Issue guidelines and directives for Dispute/
Claim Handling and Contract Termination/ Post
Er. Sushil Babu Dhakal Termination Mangaement
was appointed as the
new Director General 4) Use of Government Integrated Office Management
(DG) of the Department System (GIOMS) for office automation among all
of Roads on 2079-11- DoR offices.
03. The department's 5) Timely amendment of known issues in Norms and
employees warmly Technical Specifications.
welcomed the new DG
and bade farewell to the 6) Use of innovative technologies in pavement
former DG, Er. Arjun maintenance.
Jung Thapa, who was 7) Blackspot identification for reduction of road
transferred to the position crashes.
of Joint Secretary in the
Ministry of Physical 8) Finalizing Employee job description.
Infrastructure and Transport (MoPIT). 9) Encouraging meetings on virtual platforms for
monitoring and regular meetings.
After taking the leadership of the Department, the new
Director General has prioritized following activities within the 10) Discouraging road encroachment and removal of
Department. properties within the right of way built without
permission.
1) Improvement of laboratory facilities of department 11) Initiate Training to Road Supervisors for axle load
offices for quality control in construction works. monitoring on National Highways.
2) Increase the effectiveness of internal technical audit/ 12) Continuation of Bio-engineering and promotion of
supervision by Federal Roads Supervision and nature-based solutions.
Monitoring Offices.
13) Landslide mitigation, intervention based on rigorous
investigations and historical evidence.

1
 2. Major achievements during tenure of former DG
Arjun Junga Thapa

1. Continued Bio-engineering more aggressively by 4. Continued Publication of DoR Newsletter in regular basis.
establishing nurseries and implementing slope stabilization
under Divisions and Project Offices.
5 Published different guidelines and manuals that are useful
2. Initiated Planning, designing and constructing modern for design, construction, supervision and maintenance
office buildings in Federal Monitoring Offices and Road works.
Divisions Offices.
6. Finalized O&M Survey and made necessary plans for
3. Strengtheneded Laboratory facilities in Road Divisions strengthening human resources.
and Projects Offices to enhance quality of construction and
8. Focused on Road Assets Management works of DoR.
maintenance works.

3. Budget Expenditure and Progress (3rd Trimester 2079/80)

S. No. Description Budget

Annual Budget Allocation 129.32 Billion

Total Expenditure up to 3rd Trimester 47.49 Billion

Fiscal Progress compared to Annual Allocation 36.72%

Progress up to 3rd Progress compared

S. No. Description Annual Target
Trimester to Annual Target

Blacktop, Km. 1300 264 20.31%

Gravel, Km. 650 355 54.62%

Earthen, Km. 400 110 27.50%

Rehabilitation/ Reconstruction, Km. 600 177 29.50%

Periodic Maintenance, Km. 761 278 36.53%

Bridge Construction, Nos. 300 81 27.00%

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 4. Design and Construction of Three Span Continuous Open Spandrel
Concrete Deck Arch Bridge

-Dr Bijaya Jaishi, DDG, Development Cooperation Implementation Division (DCID)

e-mail: [email protected]

4.1 Introduction

Fig. 4.1 Google map of bridge site

The bridge site is located at Kachalighat, Kuine, Surkhet 4.2 Salient features:
along Chisapani-Babiyachaur-Badichaur-Surkhet Road. The General Arrangement of bridge is shown in figure 4.2.
The left and right banks lie at Tatopani Taule-9, Surkhet The salient features of the bridge are presented below:
and Sugarkhal, Kuine-9, Kailali respectively. The Total length of bridge = 300 m
bridge lies about 10 kms upstream of existing famous Arch Span (L) = 87.4 m (Span 1), 99.1m (Span 2),100.1m
Karnali Cable Stayed Bridge in East West Highway. The (Span 3)
Google co-ordinates of bridge site is 28043’22.85”N, Arch Rise = 18.2 m (Span 2)
81016’21.97”E (figure 4.1). The contract for construction Span Rise ratio = 5.5(Span 2)
of this arch bridge was awarded in AD 2015-07-13 as a Numbers of arch ribs = 3
design build contract. The contractor was ANK-Lumbini Size of main arch rib = 0.9 m (B) x 1.5m (D)
JV. The construction was completed completed and opened Left arch block foundation = Open foundation on rock
to traffic in AD 2023-01-9. This bridge has set up many Right arch block foundation size = Pile foundation with
records in the bridge construction history in Nepal and will full scour protection
be a milestone in the era of modern bridge construction. Total width of bridge = 11.0 m
This is the first longest continuous open spandrel concrete Carriageway = 7.5m
deck arch bridge in Nepal. It is the second continuous arch Footpath width = 1.6m
bridge in Nepal as the first one is the Babai arch bridge Contract amount: NRs. 339,661,000.00 including VAT &
along Nepalganj-Surkhet road. The complexity of false PS.
work and construction technology was significant being Unit cost w.r.t contract amount: Nrs, 1,132,203 per running
successfully handled by Nepalese contractor till now. meter

3
 Flow

Fig. 4.2- General Arrangement of bridge

4.3 Design
The bridge is designed as per IRC design specification. elements which has been compared with manual analysis. In
FE modeling, slab has been modeled as shell element; cross
The main loads considered in this independent work are
girders, longitudinal girders, spandrel columns, arch ribs and
(i) Dead load (ii) Live/ Moving load (iii) Braking load (iv)
bracing connecting arch ribs are modeled as beam elements.
Wind load (v) Earthquake load (vi) Temperature load (vii)
Linear static analysis, non-linear static analysis, buckling
creep load (viii) Shrinkage loads (ix) Load due to elastic
analysis and response spectrum analysis has been carried out.
shortening etc. The main design steps are:
The section design has been carried out for computed internal
(a) Design of slab forces. The special design challenge for this bridge are due to
(b) Design of cross girder different support level of arch springing in span1 and the bridge
(c) Design of longitudinal girder is of 3 span continuous structure.
(d) Design of spandrel column
(e) Design of arch rib
(f) Design of bracing connecting arch ribs
(g) Design of arch foundation block
(both abutment and pier)
The finite element model was developed in SAP2000
(figure 4.3) to find out the internal stresses in different

Fig. 4.3- Finite element model of bridge

4.4 Construction Sequence c) Construction of arch rib of span1 and span2 with
Construction is the most challenging issue in arch bridge scaffolding
than other types of bridges like suspension and cable d) Construction of arch rib of span3 with temporary truss
stay bridges. Although overall bridge cost is less in arch e) Construction of arch rib connecting bracing
bridge, there is always construction issue. The construction f) Spandrel column construction
sequence is: g) Construction of longitudinal girder and cross girder for
a) Arch foundation block construction in abutment and deck
piers (pile foundation) h) Construction of slab
b) Construction of spandrel column above arch foundation i) Construction of bearings, expansion joints and
block appurtenances
The Construction Sequence are shown in figure 4.4(a).
4
 Fig. 4.4-(a) Construction sequence

4.5 Conclusion
This Kuine arch bridge is the first longest continuous open in Nepal. Nepalese Engineers have gained a lot of knowledge
spandrel concrete deck arch bridge in Nepal. The special design and confidence after constructing this bridge. Replication of
and construction challenge for this bridge are due to different construction of such type of bridge in other location in Nepal
support level of arch springing in span1 and the bridge is of is highly recommended due to its overall least cost and Nepal’s
3 span continuous structure. Successful construction of this favorable topography.
bridge is the milestone for construction of motorable arch bridge

Fig. 4.4-(b) Bridge site before construction begins Fig. 4.4-(c) Left abutment during construction

Fig. 4.4-(d) Right abutment during construction Fig. 4.4-(e) Pier during construction

5
 Fig. 4.4-(f) Construction of Span1 and Span2 using staging

Fig. 4.4-(g) Construction of Span3 using temporary truss

Fig. 4.5-(h) Longitudinal and cross girder reinforcement for Fig. 4.5-(i) MSE wall in right abutment
Deck construction

Fig. 4.5-(j) Completed Bridge

Fig.4- Construction sequence and photograph of Bridge Site

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 5. Shortest Distance Calculator: An implementation example at the DOR
-Er. Rajendra Raj Sharma, Former Suprintending Engineer, DoR
e-mail: [email protected]
5.1 Introduction
The size of Nepal's road network has reached In a Graph showing the road network, If there is a two-way
almost one hundred thousand kilometers. For movement on a road, the edges are shown as double-headed
traveling from one place to another there are a arrows, and if there is only one-way movement the edges are
number of alternating routes available for choice. represented by one-way arrows.
It is always logical to choose a route that is either
the shortest in length or takes the shortest time for
travel. In this article, we are examining only the
route having the shortest length. It is not always
straightforward to choose the best route for travel.
Many business entities including transport-related
organizations, banks, and others frequently need to Fig. 5.1: Road Network Example
have knowledge of the length of the road travel between two Although the graph in fig 5.1 clearly depicts the road network
places. To solve this problem an attempt was made by the author with the relationship between nodes, it is not suitable to input
to create a computer program that may quickly give the desired into the computer. It should be converted to a suitable data
route with the shortest length. The result of this attempt was structure to be easily readable by the computer.
published in the form of a web application on the DOR website There are many types of data structures available to model the
in 2005. road network or Graph. We have adopted a comma-delimited
Distance calculator is available in DoR website. It is a computer- text data structure. In this type of data model, each node is
based application that gives the shortest distance between represented by a line of text with several fields separated by
various places in Nepal in a user-friendly way. In this article, the commas.
methodology adopted for the creation of the application and the It consists of the name of the place followed by the name of the
theory behind it will be discussed. The task of this creation was connected nodes and their distances separated by commas. If
done in several steps: the modeling of the physical routes in a two nodes are interconnected by only a one-way road then the
logical way understandable by the computer and then analyzing line of text consists of only the name of the source node.
the network for the optimum route. For example, for the network shown above the place named
5.2 Modeling the road network Nawalpur is connected with Malangwa, Chapur, and Bardibas
A road network consists of a number of places connected by with roads of 27km, 27km, and 33km respectively. The
roads. This type of network can be modeled by a mathematical information about this place is modeled as a line of text as
concept known as Graphs. A Graph is a mathematical structure follows:
that shows the relationship between various objects in a visible Nawalpur, Malangwa,27, Chapur,27, Bardibas,33
way. In a graph, objects are represented by their nodes or Similarly, all nodes of the sample network are modeled and put
vertices. The name of the nodes is shown beside them. These as lines of text. It is advisable, but not necessary, to keep the
nodes or vertices are connected together by lines called edges lines of the text in alphabetical order. This greatly simplifies the
representing the relationship between the objects. These lines addition, deletion, or alteration of the place information in the
have some numerical values called weights that depict the text file.
'amount' of the relationship between the objects they connect.
The whole road network represented by the graph shown in
These weights are usually shown beside the line denoting the
figure 5.1 is converted to several lines of text as shown below.
edge.
As explained earlier each line of text represents one place or
When a road network is represented by Graph, its vertices node of the network. The network consists of 19 nodes and
represent the places and the edges represent the roads between there are 19 corresponding lines of text.
these places. The weight of the edges represents the length of
the roads to travel between these places.
The Graph representing the entire road network of the country
might be a very large geometrical figure. For the simplicity of
discussion, a small fraction of the entire road network is taken
here. This sample road network represented as a Graph is
depicted in figure 5.1.

7
 Dijkstra's algorithm is a popular shortest-path algorithm used
to find the shortest path between two nodes in a graph with
non-negative edge weights. The algorithm is named after its
inventor, Edsger W. Dijkstra, a Dutch computer scientist.
Here is how the algorithm works:
1. Start by selecting a source node in the graph.
2. Assign distance value i.e distance from the source node
to every node in the graph. For the source node, the
initial distance value is set to 0, and for all other nodes,
it is set to infinity.
3. Set the source node as the current node.
4. For the current node, consider all of its neighbors and
calculate their tentative distance values by adding the
weight of the edge between the current node and each
Fig. 5.2: Road Network text file
neighbor to the current node's tentative distance value.
5. If the calculated tentative distance value of a neighbor is
The fig. 5.2 lines of text are saved in the computer in the form less than its current tentative distance value, update its
of a file. This is implemented as a file called ' networkinfo.txt' in tentative distance value to the new value.
the Distance Calculator application. 6. When all the neighbors of the current node have been
considered, mark the current node as settled. A settled
5.3 Analysis of the network node will never be checked again.
After the road network is implemented as a file and kept in the
computer memory, we have to create a program to interact with 7. Select the unsettled node that has the smallest distance
this file and provide the solution sought. The program takes the value, and set it as the new current node.
input of the places of the source and destination from the user, 8. Repeat steps 4 through 7 until the destination node is
extracts the information about the road network, analyzes it, and settled.
gives out the shortest distance of travel from the Source to the 9. At the end of the algorithm, the shortest path from the
destination as well as the route in the form of a sequence of source node to the destination node can be found by
places. following the path with the smallest sum of weights.
The algorithm used in the Distance Calculator is known as
Dijkstra's Algorithm.
Flow Chart for the whole process is given below:

Fig. 5.3: Flowchart for Dijkstra’s Algorithm

8
The working of the algorithm is explained in an example here. l Distance of Pasaha from source
Suppose you have to travel from Hetauda to Janakpur. On the node=min(29+9,infinity)=38
way, you have to attend an important function at Gaur. In this l Route to Pasaha from source node=”Hetaunda-
case, the network is analyzed in two stages: one from Hetauda Pathlaiya-Pasaha” is Pasaha settled? yes
to Gaur and another from Gaur to Janakpur.
After the third step
In our example for the first leg of travel i.e while traveling from l Current Node=Pasaha of Kalaiya from source
Hetaunda to Gaur: node=min(38+20,infinity)=58
Initialization l Route to Kalaiya from source=”Hetaunda-Pathlaiya-
l Source node-Hetauda Pasaha-Kalaiya”
l Destination-Gaur l Distance of Chapur from source
node=min(38+31,infinity)=69
l Distance of Hetaunda from source node=0
l Roue to Chapur from source=”Hetaunda-Pathlaiya-
l Route to Hetaunda from source node= ”Hetaunda” is
Pasaha-Chapur” is Kalaiya settled? yes
Hetaunda settled?
After the fourth step
After the first step
l Current Node=Kalaiya
l Current Node=Hetauda
l Distance of Gaur=min(58+50,infinity)=108
l Distance of Pathlaiya from source
node=min(0+29,infinity)=29 l Route to Gaur from source=”Hetaunda-Pathlaiya-
Pasaha-Kalaiya-Gaur”
l Route to Pathlaiya from source node=” Hetauda-
Pathlaiya” l Distance of Birgunj from source=min(58+12,54)=54
l Distance of Sindhuli from source l Route to Birgunj from source=”Hetaunda-Pathlaiya-
node=min(0+130,infinity)=130 Birgunj”
l Route to Sindhuli from source node=”Hetaunda- l Is Gaur settled? yes
Sindhuli” is Pathlaiya settled? yes l Is Birgunj settled? yes
After the second step
l Current Node=Pathlaiya Thus we have found the shortest distance from Hetaunda to
l Distance of Birgunj from Hetaunda=min(29+25, Gaur as 108 km on the route Hetaunda- Pathlaiya- Pasaha-
infinity)=54 Kalaiya- Gaur. In a similar way, we can find the distance from
l Route to Birgunj from source node=”Hetaunda- Gaur to Janakpur as 106km on the Gaur- Malangwa- Jaleshwar-
Pathlaiya-Birgunj” Janakpur route. So finally we get our solution as shown in
fig. 5.4. The final shortest route is highlighted in fig. 5.4 below.

Fig. 5.4: Graphical User Interface

5.4 Implementation program with the code written in Visual Basic language and
The whole process of finding the shortest path as per the converted to a binary i.e. .exe format. A fragment of the code
algorithm discussed above was implemented in a computer is given below:

9
 Fig. 5.5:Solved route

Fig. 5.6: Fragment of the code

5.5 Further Works

As a further development of this program or application, a of this application back in 2005 the road network has grown
geographical map showing the location of places can be added tremendously, the text file with network information should be
to this system. Furthermore, in addition to the length of the links completely updated to include the new links and nodes. If there
average travel speed on that link can be added so that the shortest is any query regarding this implementation one can contact me
travel time can also be found. Since the first implementation by email at [email protected].

10
 6. Field Verification of Asphalt Mixtures
-Er. Aashutosh Karna, Division Chief, Road Division Chaurjahari, Rukum
e-mail:[email protected]

6.1 Introduction l cold feed and/or hot bin proportions;

A thorough understanding of the concepts regarding volumetric l aggregate properties including bulk specific gravities;
properties is essential in understanding variability that can occur l bulk and maximum specific gravities of the mixture; and
when field-produced mixtures are compared to laboratory mix
l volumetric properties including Pa, VMA, VFA, and DP;
design results. Issues such as absorption, mixture conditioning
and gradation have significant impact on the volumetric results l stability, flow or other performance parameters specified.
of field-produced mixtures.

6.2 Laboratory design versus field production Field verification of the asphalt mix involves testing and
Good performance of asphalt pavements is achieved by using analyzing the field-produced mixture to ensure that the JMF
high-quality materials, precise process control during mix criteria specified above are met. Significant differences exist
production and best placement practices during construction. between the small-scale operation of the laboratory mixing
The life of a pavement and the cost of maintenance can be bowl and a 500-ton-per-hour HMA plant.
very sensitive to seemingly minor variations in materials
HMA produced in the field will often display different
properties, such as aggregate gradation, asphalt content, mixture
volumetric properties when compared to results in the lab.
volumetrics and compaction.
Laboratory mix and field-produced mix have different physical
The goal of mix design is to establish mix formulation and handling of the aggregate before and after blending of materials,
process control targets known as the job mix formula (JMF). A varied use of particulate control and a differing environment
JMF should contain the following criteria along with appropriate in which absorption can occur. All of these, along with other
production tolerances: variables, can produce changes in the VMA and air voids of the
l binder content; field-produced mixtures when compared to the laboratory mix
design.
l gradation of each specified sieve size;

Mix Design Type: Asphalt Concrete Wearing Course By Marshall Design Method 4. Specific Gravity Test Results of provided aggregates, dust filler and
bitumen :
1. Sieve analysis test results of the provided aggregates and filler materials :
a. 19 mm size aggregate = 2.674
% PASSING
Sleve size b. 10 mm size aggregate = 2.668
19 mm down Agg 10 mm down Agg 4.75 mm down Agg Mineral
mm
size size size Dust Filler
c. 4.75 mm size aggregate = 2.659
25 100.00 100.00 100.00 100.00
19 71.55 100.00 100.00 100.00 d. Mineral Dust Filler = 2.654
13.2 8.83 100.00 100.00 100.00
9.5 4.97 88.52 100.00 100.00 e. Specific gravity of vitumen = 1.043
4.75 4.78 16.58 92.48 95.18
2.36 4.00 7.31 66.66 75.58 5. Proposed Optimum Bitumen Content after Marshall Design Test results
1.18 3.20 7.12 37.41 49.60 analysis :
0.6 2.56 2.91 28.53 40.75
Optimum Bitumen Content by weight of Total Agg. Mix = 5.56 %
0.3 2.00 2.58 16.13 33.01
0.15 0.96 1.75 4.74 24.58 6. A/C Mix Design Results at proposed Optimum Bitumen Content :
0.075 0.16 0.35 0.05 20.36

2. Proposed mix proportions of provided aggregates and dust filler: a. Stability at 5.54 % Bitumen Content = 13.60 KN
19 mm aggregate = 35 %
10 mm aggregate = 30 %
4.75 mm aggregate = 5 % b. Flow Value at 5.54 % Bitumen Content = 2.16 mm
Mineral Dust filler = 30 %

3. Sleve analysis of the mix aggregates after provided proposed mix proportions: c. Bulk Density at 5.54 % Bitumen Content = 2.378 gm/cc
Sleve size % passing Mix grading of agg, sand
Specified Limit
mm and dust
25 100 100 d. Air Voids at 5.54 % Bitumen Content = 3.10 %
19 90.04 90-100
13.2 68.09 50-79
9.5 63.30 52-72
e. Voids
4.75 39.83 35-55 in Mineral 5.54 % Bitumen Content = 15.55 %
2.36 29.60 28-44 Aggregates at
1.18 20.01 20-34
0.6 15.42 15-27
0.3 12.18 10-20
f. Voids filled with
0.15 8.47 5-13 5.54 % Bitumen Content = 80.00 %
bitumen
0.07 6.27 2-8

Table 6.1: Sample Job Mix Formula

11
A mix design technician or engineer should account for
anticipated differences between the lab and field when they
have experience with the proposed materials, especially the
aggregate, and the plant that will produce the mix.
Field verification of an asphalt mix is necessary to measure what
differences exist and what corrective measures, if any, need to
be made. Out- of-date mixture designs are often a source of
production problems. If the mix design was performed some
time (maybe months) ahead of paving, or the materials used
during the design are not representative of the materials used
on construction, there may be an unacceptable difference
between the plant-produced mix and the JMF established in
the mix design phase. Plant adjustments may bring the plant-
produced mix within the gradation specifications, but may have
a hard time complying with the volumetric and performance
requirements.

Fig. 6.4: Laboratory Production of Mixture - 2

Reconciliation of the differences that are found between the

JMF and field-produced materials should be approached from
a systematic perspective. First, recognition of what can or
cannot be readily changed to meet the project requirements
during production needs to be established. An example of where
changes may not be allowed without a complete redesign of the
mix includes the failure of aggregate materials to meet source
property requirements.
Many adjustments can be made during production to maintain
adequate results. Aggregate proportions and asphalt content are
Fig. 6.1: Field Production of Mixture - 2 two items that are often adjusted during production. Adjustment
to only one item at a time is recommended. Multiple, concurrent
adjustments can cancel each other out to produce a net result of
no change or a drastic change to the mixture.

6.3 Quality control tests and calculations

6.3.1 Asphalt content

Several methods can be used to determine binder content. The
most frequently used methods are the extraction test (AASHTO
T 164 or ASTM D2172) and the ignition oven test (AASHTO
T 308).

Fig. 6.2: Field Production of Mixture - 1

Picture 6.5: Binder Content Test

6.3.2 Aggregate gradation

Various methods also exist to determine aggregate gradation.
Gradation results can vary depending on the sample location.
Samples are often obtained from the cold feed belt or hot bins
prior to the introduction of binder into the mixture. Extraction or
Fig. 6.3: Laboratory Production of Mixture - 1
12
ignition oven testing of the plant-mixed material is considered Gmm = 2.438 Gmb = 2.344
to be a more accurate measurement for the aggregate gradation
of the final mixture. There can be a significant difference Pa =
100 × 2.438 − 2.344 = 3.9%
between a cold feed gradation and extracted gradation caused 2.438
by the physical breakdown of the material as it is processed
through the plant. Gradations should always be washed to
ensure complete accuracy of the amount of minus No. 200 (75
μm) material. 6.3.6 Stability (Marshall and Hveem) and flow (Marshall)
6.3.3 Maximum specific gravity of the mix These properties can be measured on the laboratory compacted
samples of field-produced material. Some agencies include
The theoretical maximum specific gravity, Gmm, of the HMA them in field verification tests. These tests have traditionally
paving mixture is a key measurement during both laboratory been utilized as a measure to indicate the rutting resistance and
mix design and field verification. Gmm is the specific gravity of durability of an HMA. However, these values are affected by
an asphalt mixture with air voids excluded. Using a vacuum many different aggregate and asphalt properties and are less
procedure to remove entrapped air from the mixture, the test reliable than volumetric property tests for predicting pavement
determines the volume of the asphalt mix in a voidless state. performance. If the volumetric properties (air voids, VMA,
asphalt content) and the aggregate quality and gradation of the
Multiplying Gmm by the density of water, ρw, will yield the
mixture are properly controlled, then the stability and flow will
theoretical maximum density of an asphalt mixture. This Gmm is normally meet the appropriate specifications.
used to determine the air voids of compacted mixtures as well
as a reference typically used to determine the in-place density 6.4 Job mix formula verification and daily overlag
of the HMA. The following example demonstrates this process. Field verification involves two different levels of analysis
Maximum specific gravity = Gmm = 2.438 performed on the HMA. The first involves analyzing the mixture
on the first day of full production to compare the mixture to
Density of water = ρw = 1,000 g/m3 the Job Mix Formula (JMF). The second uses day-to-day field
verification tests to determine if the mixture properties continue
Maximum density = Gmm × ρw to meet specifications.
= 2.438 × 1,000
6.4.1 Job mix formula verification
= 2,438 kg/m3
Asphalt content, gradation, void analysis and other specified
6.3.4 Bulk specific gravity of the mix tests are performed to compare field-produced mixture
properties with the JMF. These tests will indicate if the aggregate
The bulk specific gravity of the mix (Gmb) can be determined characteristics have varied since the mix design, and may
on any compacted HMA. This includes material compacted indicate if problems exist from changes in the aggregate after
in the lab or material compacted on the roadway. Laboratory
processing through the asphalt mixing plant. Field verification
compacted samples of plant-produced mix must be compacted
using the same procedure used in the mix design (SGC, Hveem results may show that changes are necessary to meet the JMF
or Marshall). and specification’s applied tolerances. For example, minor
changes in the asphalt content may bring air voids back into
Multiplying Gmb by the density of water will yield the bulk compliance. Alternatively, if the mixture is meeting agency
density of the compacted HMA sample. The following example specifications but not the JMF and applied tolerances, the JMF
demonstrates this process. can be adjusted to the average results of the plant-produced mix.
Significant differences between the laboratory design and field-
Bulk specific gravity, Gmb = 2.344 produced mixture may necessitate a new mix design using the
Density of water, ρw = 1,000 kg/m3 actual production materials. Once the JMF has been verified or
adjusted, the final JMF is established and payment is measured
Bulk density = Gmb × ρw
from these values. This final JMF is often referred to as the
= 2.344 × 1,000
adjusted JMF or AJMF.
= 2,344 kg/m3
Adjusting the JMF at start-up is common to maintain mix
When sampling field mix for bulk specific gravity determination, volumetrics. However, continuous changes to the JMF are not
laboratory compaction without reheating is recommended. acceptable and indicative of poor production processes.
If reheating of cold or stored samples cannot be avoided, a
correlation should be made to adjust the compactive effort on 6.4.2 Daily mix verification
the reheated mix to match the volumetric properties (such as
VMA and percent air voids) of field mix which was not reheated. Daily testing can provide an early warning by indicating if the
mixture properties deviate from the specifications. This daily
6.3.5 Air voids verification is part of plant process control that can identify
Since Gmb is measured on a compacted sample, the measurement potential acceptance problems before a large amount of mix is
includes air contained in the mix. The percent air voids, Pa, of the placed.
compacted mixture is calculated using the bulk and theoretical Daily field verification tests are typically performed on random
maximum specific gravities in this equation.
samples taken from a set quantity of material called a lot. A lot
Gmm − Gmb is typically a day’s production or a given tonnage of material. It
Pa = 100×
Gmm is important to use random sampling techniques so an unbiased
The following is a demonstration of this equation in use. evaluation of the material can be made (see Asphalt Institute’s
MS-22, Principles of Construction of Hot Mix Asphalt
Pavements, for further information).

13
 Fig. 6.6: Aggregate Verification – 1

Fig. 6.10: Plant Production Control Unit Verification

The details of the verifications are shown in figure 6.2 to 6.10.

6.5 Volumetric adjustments

The most common problem encountered in plant-produced mix
is the failure to meet VMA and air voids volumetric parameters.
These properties are related in that a failing air voids test is
usually the result of a changing VMA—assuming the binder
Fig. 6.7: Aggregate Verification – 2 content is correct. The change in VMA is most often explained
by inconsistent mixture curing during testing or a change in the
gradation of the aggregate.
Mixture conditioning of samples is essential in providing
accurate volumetric properties. Changes in air voids or VMA
are often encountered and go unexplained. Careful observation
of material conditioning times can often explain fluctuating
volumetric test results. The time and temperature of mixture
conditioning can greatly affect the amount of asphalt absorbed
in the aggregate, thus changing the theoretical maximum
specific gravity (Gmm) and, to a lesser extent, bulk specific
gravity (Gmb) test results. For example,
Gmm samples taken from a truck at the plant and allowed to
immediately cool can have significantly lower results (lowered
absorbed asphalt) than if the same material were hauled to the
roadway, sampled behind the paver, and returned to the plant lab
in an insulated specimen container, and then allowed to cool. It
is common for neither of these scenarios to match the curing
Fig. 6.8: Plant Production Verification time performed in the laboratory during the mix design process.
In order for field-produced mixtures to match laboratory design
values, mix samples should be cured at similar temperatures
for a similar length of time. Highly absorptive aggregates will
greatly magnify the importance of matching the curing time and
temperature in the lab to that in the field.
It is important to remember that VMA measured on a lab-
compacted specimen is the result of the amount of aggregate
packing that occurs in the mold when placed in the compactor.
Anything that changes the amount of aggregate that can be
compacted into the specimen will affect the resulting VMA.
A change on one aggregate sieve can alter the compaction
characteristics of the mix and change the way the entire
aggregate structure “fits” together. A common scenario when
going from design in the lab to production in the field is that
the aggregate experiences further “breakdown” in the plant
Fig. 6.9: Bitumen Verification
14
relative to the mixing bowl. This breakdown can create a higher Achieving compliance with compaction specifications is the
percentage of minus No. 200 material (dust) that will decrease final step in the quality management of the HMA construction
air voids and decrease (collapse) VMA in a compacted sample. procedures and must be accomplished to produce a quality
asphalt pavement. There are four primary methods for specifying
When QC/QA plans only require the monitoring of the air
the compaction of in-place HMA pavements:
voids in a mixture, and when VMA unknowingly decreases, it
is a common adjustment to simply reduce the amount of binder l method specifications;
being added to the mixture to restore the specified air voids l control strip specified density;
level. Caution should be exercised here as the real reason for
l bulk specified density; and
the lower air voids is the collapse of the available VMA in the
mix or the binder coating the aggregate has not had sufficient l theoretical maximum specified density.
time to be absorbed. Simply reducing the binder content may
correct the air voids deviation but leave the mixture with an 6.6.1 Method specifications
insufficient amount of binder to provide a durable, fatigue- A “method” specification has no reference density against
resistant pavement. Other options exist to restore the VMA in a which the in-place density and air voids are compared. This
mixture, including but not limited to the following suggestions: type of specification lists such items as number, type and size
l Evaluate sampling and testing procedures to assure a of rollers to be used, number of passes each roller makes, use
standardization of curing parameters; of temperature measurements, descriptions such as “surface is
l Make gradation changes that generate additional VMA;
rolled until free of roller marks” and so forth. Judgment is the
primary decision tool for determining optimum compaction
l Increase the fracture content of the aggregate;
when using this type of specification. Method specifications are
l Reduce natural sand components and increase the usage generally only applicable for smaller projects with light traffic,
of manufactured sand; or thin lift construction (1 inch or less), such as leveling courses
l Introduce highly fractured, durable, intermediate-sized and thin or non-uniform HMA overlays. In these cases, cost and
“chips” into the aggregate structure; the inability to obtain meaningful data may preclude the use of
l Reduce the dust in the mixture by increasing the fine
a reference density specification.
aggregates that contain less material passing the No. 200 Specified density methods compare the in-place density of
sieve, or by not returning all of the material from the the pavement to a reference density. The pavement density is
dust collection system; and specified as a percentage of the reference density. One of the
l Wash the aggregates to reduce the dust. following three reference densities is typically used in density
Powerful, advanced techniques exist today that can be highly specifications.
useful in guiding plant operators to the most efficient adjustment 6.6.2 Control strip specified density
for their situation. Perhaps the most widely recognized and
refined of these is the Bailey Method. With tools like the Bailey This process calls for the construction of a pavement control strip
Method, mathematical predictions of how a proposed gradation of a minimum length or volume of mix at the start of each lift
change will affect VMA, and thus other volumetric properties, being constructed. After compaction is completed, a specified
can be made. number of tests are measured from random locations within the
control strip. The average density obtained is calculated and
A quality control manager can investigate various scenarios, becomes the reference density.
typically via a spreadsheet, to determine which bin adjustments
will likely best reconcile their mix to the correct volumetric The reference control strip density must then be compared to
properties. The Bailey Method explains why very small either the laboratory or theoretical maximum density of the field-
changes in gradation can have a dramatic effect on the resulting produced HMA to determine if densification is adequate and
volumetric properties depending on the mixture. More accepted. Once an acceptable control strip has been obtained,
information on the Bailey Method can be found on the Asphalt the test strip density becomes the reference density typically
Institute’s website. specified during construction. Values over 102 percent indicate
that something has changed and a new control strip should be
Absent of Bailey Method-like tools, trial-and-error plant considered.
adjustments based on experience can be made to achieve
compliance with the JMF. The complex dynamics of a mix Control strip specified density requirements are the least
does not allow for this literature to fully address the unique effective in assuring optimum pavement performance as control
circumstances of individual situations. It must be emphasized strip compaction conditions are highly variable. Temperature
that regardless of mixture adjustment techniques utilized, conditions, subgrade condition, roller ballast, tire pressure,
uniformity of stockpiled materials are essential in producing operator inconsistencies, along with many other variables can
quality asphalt mix. It is very difficult, if not impossible, to significantly affect a reference control strip density.
predict the results of a change in bin proportions when dealing 6.6.3 Bulk specified density
with highly variable stockpiles.
This method compares in-place pavement density to a laboratory
compacted sample of field-produced mix. Field-produced HMA
is compacted using the same effort used during the mix design.
6.6 Density specifications The laboratory density is measured using the bulk specific
The goal of compaction is to achieve a smooth, uniform surface gravity test.
at optimum air voids content that ultimately determines whether
the pavement will perform as expected. The in-place air voids In terms of specification compliance, an agency compares the
of HMA after compaction is a very important factor that affects in-place pavement density to the reference density in the form
performance of the mixture throughout the life of the pavement. of a ratio:
15
 In-Place Density × 100 depending on the actual mix design and compaction criteria
Percent of Bulk Density =
Laboratory Bulk Density used in this specification. For example, if the mix design air
When it has been verified that the field-produced mix matches voids is at 5 percent, then 100 percent of laboratory density
the mix design properties, the laboratory compacted samples would be at 5 percent air voids. If the same compaction criteria
provide the same air voids content as determined in the mix of 96 percent of laboratory density were used, this would yield
design, typically 4 percent. If an in-place air voids content of 8 an in-place air voids content of 9 percent (96% × 0.95), not 8
percent is desired, the in-place density should be 96 percent of percent.
the laboratory bulk density. % of Maximum Density
Minimum bulk density specifications typically range from 96 (Gmm)
to 100 percent of the laboratory compacted bulk density. Values For 4% Air Void
over 100 percent may be indicative of the following: 100 0
Mix Design
l The materials have changed. 99 1
l There are problems with the plant equipment.
98 2
l Poor sampling or testing techniques may have been % of Lab Density In-Place
used.
l There may have been problems with the laboratory 97 3
equipment. (Gmb) Air
l Aggregate is being crushed under the roller.
100 96 4 Voids
6.6.4 Theoretical maximum specified density 99 95 5
% of
Theoretical maximum density testing determines a void less
unit weight of the mix, as if it were compacted to a zero air
voids condition. Using the Rice test method, the theoretical
Control Strip 98 94 6
maximum density of the field-produced mixture is determined
as the reference density. The relative density of the in-place Density 97 93 7
pavement is again calculated as the ratio of the in-place density
to theoretical maximum density.
100 96 92 8

In-Place Density × 100 99 95 91 9

Percent of Theoretical =
Maximum Density Theoretical Max. Density Fig. 6.11 Relationships between the reference density measurements
and the air voids
The theoretical maximum density represents a void less
mixture. When the in-place air voids content is 8 percent, Each of the reference density specification procedures has
the in-place density is 92 percent of the reference theoretical
maximum density. The theoretical maximum specified density additional considerations that may make one more favorable
is the most widely used method of specifying pavement than another on a particular project. These considerations
compaction. Minimum compaction requirements typically include the traffic volume, subgrade support, size of the project,
range from 92 to 96 percent of the theoretical maximum construction and testing schedules and any lift thickness
density. Values over 97 percent may be indicative of problems variation.
in the following areas:
A higher degree of compaction monitoring is recommended
l The materials have changed. in the initial stages of the construction process, regardless of
l There are problems with the plant equipment. which density specification is used, to ensure optimum results
from the compaction process.
l Poor sampling or testing techniques may have been
used. In addition to maintaining minimum compaction, it is also
l There may have been problems with the laboratory necessary to investigate excessive compaction. There are many
equipment. causes for this occurrence, including:
Test results over 100 percent of Gmm are theoretically 1. excessive moisture in the plant-produced mix;
impossible. 2. improper bag house operations;
6.6.5 Summary of the different specified density methods 3. variable absorption rates of aggregate materials; and
The relationship between the reference density measurements 4. poor quality aggregate that degrades during compaction,
and air voids of the in-place pavement is shown in figure 6.11. often associated with thin lifts.
Laboratory compacted and in-place air voids benchmarks equal
to 4 and 8 percent are depicted against each type of reference Whenever abnormally high density (below 3 percent air voids)
density. It should be noted that, while the comparison between occurs in a compacted mix, the cause should be determined
theoretical maximum density and in-place air voids content and corrected. This problem may also require that the mix be
is constant, the relationship between the other two reference adjusted or redesigned. Flowchart of field verification is shown
density types and in-place air voids will shift up or down in figure in 6.12.

16
 Receive the Mix Design from Contractor

(Job Mix Formula – JMF)

Check for criteria specified in Section 6.2 along with

appropriate production tolerances in JMF

Inspection of Raw Materials to be used for producing the

asphalt mix

Inspection of Production Plant and Verification of Calibration

of Plant before production begins

Begin production and supervise mixing process (Temperature of

Asphalt Binder, Temperature of Aggregate and Mixing Time)

Sampling during production – JMF Verification

Testing and Analysis

Adjustments to the mix as necessary to meet specifications

Documentation of the results of tests and any adjustments made

Monitoring the production process to ensure it is consistent and

quality is maintained – Daily Mix Verification

Flow Chart for Supervision of

Asphalt Mix Production

Fig. 6.12 Flowchart of field Varification

(Extracted from MS-2, Asphalt Mix Design Methods, 7th Ed. – Asphalt Institute along with site photographs and other picture aids and
a flow chart collected and created during supervision by Aashutosh Karna)

17
7. An Overview of Comparison between Marshall and Superpave Mix Design Methods
-Binod Prasad Sapkota, Senior Divisional Engineer, Quality Research and Development Centre, DoR
e-mail: [email protected]

7.1. Introduction flow values, Density with respect to Maximum Theoretical

Nepal has placed a significant emphasis on infrastructure Density, Voids in Mineral Aggregate (VMA), Voids Fill with
development to achieve its developmental goals, with roads Asphalt(VFA) and Traffic condition (Low, Medium, High).
being a crucial component. This article focuses on the mix Typically, the Marshall Mix Design method consists of Four
design component of pavements and aims to provide DoR basic steps.
personnel, engineers, readers, and researchers with information
Aggregate Selection: Test requirements as specified, blending
on the two common flexible pavement (asphalt) mix design
of aggregates.
procedures.
Asphalt Binder election: Test requirement as specified,
It is important to note that the term “asphalt” has different
Viscosity Grade bitumen, Modified Bitumen.
meanings in different parts of the world. For example, in
Europe, asphalt refers to Hot Mix Asphalt (HMA) or Asphalt Determination of Volumetric properties: Air voids, voids in
Concrete (AC), whereas in the US, it is known as bitumen or the mineral aggregate (VMA), voids filled with asphalt (VFA),
asphalt binder. In the South Asian region, bitumen is considered Density, Theoretical Density.
a binder, while asphalt concrete is viewed as a mix of all Optimum binder content determination: This step can be broken
constituents, including bitumen. up into 5 sub steps:
The goal of mix design is to determine the combination of i) Prepare a series of initial samples, each at different asphalt
bitumen and aggregate that will ensure long-lasting performance binder content and calculation of volumetric properties.
as part of the pavement structure. This involves laboratory
ii) Compact these trial mixes using the Marshall drop hammer.
procedures to establish the necessary material proportions for
This hammer is specific to the Marshall mix design method.
use in the asphalt mixture.
Conduct water sensitivity analysis.
According to Asphalt institute Ms-27th edition 2014, there iii) Test the samples in the Marshall testing machine for
are three types of Asphalt mix design procedures for Hot stability and flow. The testing machine is specific to the
Mix Asphalt (HMA): Marshall Method, Hveem Method, and Marshall Mix Design method. Passing values of stability
Superpave Methods. The Marshall Method, which has been in and flow depend upon the mix class being evaluated.
use since 1930, is popular worldwide, including in Nepal. The
iv) Determine the density and other volumetric properties of
Superpave method was introduced by the US Department of
the samples.
Transport’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in 1993
and has replaced the Marshall method in the USA, gaining v) Select the optimum asphalt binder content. The asphalt
popularity in other countries. binder content corresponding to 4 percent air void is
selected.
The advantage of the Marshall Mix Design method is that
it provides an expectation of the mixes’ performance for
7.3. Superpave Mix Design
local materials and environmental impact. In contrast, the
Superpave mix design method utilizes performance-based and The Superpave mix design method was designed to replace
performance-related criteria to design the proper asphalt mix, the Hveem and Marshall methods. The Superpave system ties
which enables a direct relationship between laboratory and asphalt binder and aggregate selection into the mix design
field performance. This technology has tremendous potential process and consider traffic and climate as well. The compaction
and could be implemented in different countries, leading to devices from the Hveem and Marshall procedures have been
higher performance and longer-lasting roads. Therefore, a replaced by a gyratory compactor and the compaction effort in
comprehensive study comparing the design of bituminous mix design is tied to expected traffic.
mixes using both Superpave and the Marshall method of Mix The Superpave Mix Design method consists of four basic steps:
Design is needed.
Aggregate Selection: Test requirements as specified, restrictions
The main objective of this article is to understand the difference on aggregate gradation are specified by using gradation
between the Marshall Design method and the Superpave system specifications, Blending of Aggregate with proper gradation
design method in Asphalt flexible pavements.
Asphalt Binder Selection: Test requirement as specified,
7.2. Marshall Mix Design Superpave PG asphalt binders are selected based on the
The Marshall method seeks to select the asphalt content at a expected pavement temperature extremes in the area of their
desired air void 4% that satisfies minimum stability, range of intended use.

18
Determination of Volumetric properties: Air voids, voids in compactions) is main factor to consider which depends on
the mineral aggregate (VMA), voids filled with asphalt (VFA), Traffic Loads (ESALs). Conduct water sensitivity analysis.
Density, Theoretical Density iii) Determine the density and other volumetric properties of
Optimum asphalt binder content determination. This step can be the samples.
broken up into 4 steps: iv) Select the optimum asphalt binder content. The asphalt
binder content corresponding to 4 percent air voids and
i) Prepare a series of initial samples, each at different
should be equal to Number of gyration that will achieve
asphalt binder content and calculation of volumetric
96% compaction of Theoretical Density (Gmm).
properties.
ii) Compact these trial mixes in the Superpave Gyratory
Compactor. This compacter is specific to the Superpave
7.4. Differences on Test Methods and Philosophy
mix design method. Number of Gyrations (number of Differences on test methods and philosophy are given as per
table 7.1 and table 7.2 below:

Table 7.1. Difference on Test Methods

S.N. Design steps Resources Marshall Mix Design Superave mix design

1 Material Selection Aggregate As per specification requirement Differ in gradation and control points

Fine Aggregate As per specification requirement Differ in gradation and control points

Filler As per specification requirement Same

Binder Bitumen VG grades Bitumen Performance Grade

2 Material Blending Job mix Required Required and should consider restricted
zone in gradation

3 Compaction Hammer compactor Gyratory Compactor

4 Design binder From graph and At 4% air void from air void vs *Nd value at 4% air void = 96% of Gmm
content data binder content graph (from using two grahps, 1. Air void Vs
Binder content 2. % Gmm @ Nd Vs Binder
content

5 Moisture sensitivity Laboratory Tests Yes Yes

6 Performance testing Field Test Recommended Strongly Recommended

*Nd = Number of Gyration at designed value

Table 7.2. Difference in Philosophy

S.N Marshall Mix Design Superpave Mix Design

1 It is Uni-directional unconfined test, but actual It is confined test. It considers Triaxial stress which is actual
pavement material is subjected to Triaxial stress. pavement behavior under load.

2 Its empirical test parameters are not related directly This method considers permanent deformation and fatigue cracking
to the pavement performance such as permanent by selecting proper materials of aggregate and PG grade bitumen
deformation and fatigue cracking behavior.

3 It does not identify easily compactable mixes under It identifies easily compactable mixes under traffic by considering
traffic. number of gyration in three phase initial, design and final.

4 Impact compaction used in this method does not It simulate the mixture densification as in real pavement
simulate the mixture densification as it occurs in a real
pavement.

19
7.5 Way forward Magdi and Samir [6] from Sudan have concluded that Superpave
Various papers have been published in the literature regarding mix design results in lesser binder compared to Marshall mix
the comparison between Marshall and Superpave methods for hot climate and heavy traffic conditions, higher density in
for design of asphalt mixtures. Recently, several studies have Superpave is due to Superpave Gyration Compactor compactive
been conducted to evaluate the feasibility and performance of effort and also concluded that, performance-based Superpave
Superpave-designed mixtures. For Nepal superpave mix design mixes performed better than Marshall mixes.
is totally new. Recently, Millennium Challenge Account (MCA) Nepal
Wang et al [1] in his study compared the volumetric and have introduced the Superpave design method to Nepal. The
mechanical performance properties of Superpave mixtures and laboratory is estabilished in Quality, Research and Development
Typical Taiwan mixture (TTM) using the Marshall method. center (QRDC) promises. Proper allocation of DoR personal to
His results showed that the asphalt binder contents for the run superpave lab is another issue for DoR. QRDC, DoR must
Superpave-designed mixtures are lower than TTM Marshall- initialize the superpave design for asphalt mix for better quality
designed mix and TTM mixtures exhibited low densification of road pavement. But DoR shall analyize the availability of
values. PG grade bitumen which is outside of country furthermore in
case of proper run of superpave lab research can be done for
Jasim [2] evaluated the volumetric, mechanical properties and
the appropriate environment friendly binder instead of or along
moisture susceptibility for both Marshall and Superpave design
with PG grade binder.
methods. She found that the estimated asphalt content for the
Superpave mix design is lower than that obtained by Marshall References:
Mix Design. This indicates that the Superpave mix design is [1] J. N. Wang, T. W. Kennedy, and R. B. McGennis,
more economical. “Volumetric and mechanical performance properties
A study in India by Swami et al. [3] was conducted to ascertain of superpave mixtures,” Journal of Materials in Civil
and evaluate how well Superpave designed mixtures performed Engineering, pp. 238-245, 2000.
compared to conventional Marshall mix with respect to [2] I. F. Jasim, “Comparison between marshall and superpave
permanent deformation (rutting) using local materials in mixtures design,” Al-Qadisiya Journal For Engineering
Malaysia. The study results showed that the Superpave gyratory Sciences, vol. 5, no. 4, pp. 394-406, 2012.
compactor (SGC) is capable of achieving lower air void contents [3] B. L. Swami, Y. A. Mehta, and S. Bose, “A comparison of
than that could be achieved by the mechanical Marshall hammer the marshall and superpave design procedure for materials
compactor. Also they found that Superpave mixes have less sourced in India,” The International Journal of Pavement
asphalt binder contents than the Marshall mixes. Engineering, vol. 5, issue 3, pp.163- 173, 2004.
Asi and Khalayleh [4] who study the possibility of adopting the [4] I. M. Asi and Y. Khalayleh, “Adaptation of superpave
Superpave mix design procedure in Jordan to solve the bleeding asphalt concrete mix design procedure to jordan climatic
problem and some of the distresses common in asphalt roads. and traffic conditions,”
They found that using local aggregate gradation for heavy traffic technical notes, International Journal of Pavement
in the Superpave design method gave dust proportion higher Research and Technology, vol. 4, no. 3, pp 154-161, 2010.
than the maximum specified limit by the Superpave procedure.
[5] H. I. Hafez and W. M. Witczak, “Comparison of marshall
High dust proportion will usually lead to brittleness of the
and super-pave level 1 mix design for asphalt mixes,”
mixes. Therefore, they recommend shifting to the Superpave
Transportation Research
design procedure.
Record No. 1492, Transportation Research Board,
Hafez and Witczak [5] have stated that for identical traffic and National Research Council, Washington, D. C., USA, pp.
climatic conditions, the Superpave Level 1 design for polymer 161-175,1995.
modified mixtures, the binder was found to be about 0.5 to 0.8
[6] Magdi M. E. Zumrawi and Samir A. Sheikh Edrees,
percent less than the Marshall analysis. For Superpave mixes
“Comparison of Marshall and Superpave Asphalt Design
at traffic level less than 1 x 107 ESALs, simulating 75-blow
Methods for Sudan Pavement Mixes,” International
Marshall Mixes the asphalt design contents were found to be
Journal of Scientific and Technical Advancements, Volume
almost equivalent. As the climatic region changes from worm
2, Issue 1, pp. 29-35, 2016.
to cool, super-pave required 1 percent higher binder content
compared to Marshall procedure.

20
 8. Road Safety Status in Nepal
-Mukunda Raj Adhikari, Divisional Chief, DoR, Lalitpur
e-mail: [email protected]

Some 3,700 people who left home today morning walking, These mentioned actions can be implemented through Financing,
biking or riding to school or work plying in street, or sitting Legal framework, Speed management, Capacity management,
out on a long trip will never return home. Another 137,000 Ensuring a gender perspective in transport planning, Adopting
people will be injured, some of whom will be disabled for life technologies to the safe system, and focusing on low and
in the road accident. This represents the daily road accident middle-income countries. These safety targets are aimed to
scenario of the present conditions in the world. Road traffic achieve through the shared responsibility among stakeholders,
accident is the 1st cause of death of children aged 5 –14 years like government, academia, civil society and youth, the private
and young adults of 15-29 years. Road traffic injuries are the sector, funder, and the United Nations.
8th leading cause of death overall. Among the death from road
traffic injuries, 54 percent of victims are vulnerable road users The road safety scenario in Nepal
(pedestrians, cyclists, and motorcyclists). UN general assembly Nepal’s road safety status in 2009-2010 was as follows.
on 10 May 2010 declared the UN Decade of Action for Road
Safety 2011-2020 for saving millions of lives (Orgainzation, Per 100000 population In 10000 registered vehicle
2011). The declared action should take place at local, national, Death Injured Death injured
regional, and global levels throughout the decade. The five 9 58 17 113
pillars were set up for the implementation as mentioned in
(Source: The World Bank Group, 2021)
figure 8.1 (Nation, 011).

(Source: The World Bank Group, 2021) Fig. 8.1 Five Pillars of Road Safety

The implementation of the decade action could not be Being the signatory country in the Bussan meeting, Nepal has
satisfactory enough and the next decade of action has been set the target to reduce road traffic accidents by 50 % till 2020.
declared. But the road safety status of Nepal in 2018/2019 is observed as
following.
The 3rd Global Ministerial Conference on road safety was held
in Stockholm, Sweden, in February 2020 which was the final Per 100000 population In 10000 registered vehicle
year of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2011 – 2020.
Death Injured Death injured
It brought government ministers together to extend the 2020
target to reduce road deaths and serious injuries to 2030. UN 10 50 8 41
General Assembly resolution 74/299 declared a decade of (Source: The World Bank Group, 2021)
action of road safety 2021 – 2030 with the target to reduce road Looking at the above data the target of the decade is not
traffic death and injuries by at least 50 percent during this period reachable.
(Organization, 2021). This decade of action for road safety calls
for the action of the Safe Systems Approach: In 2019 alone, there were nearly 13,000 highway and road
accidents with more than 2,700 death and 10,000 serious
l Multimodal transport and land use planning injuries. Road crash deaths and injuries in Nepal have been on
l Safe road infrastructure a sharp upward trajectory since the early 2000s, as the country
l Safe vehicle invested in increased road connectivity and economic growth
l Safe road user boosted vehicle ownership. The road safety crisis is a growing
l Post-crash response global epidemic and Nepal is no exception. A study by the World
21
Bank in Nepal showed that the economic cost of road traffic Road safety is not the only challenge to transportation but also
injuries has increased threefold since 2007 and the value of this strong impact on health, human capital, and economic growth.
is equivalent to 1.5 % of gross national products. Road crashes
In the case of the fatalities, 72 percentage of road crash
have a disproportionate and devastating impact on the poor.
fatalities and injuries are the productive age of 15- 64 year
More than 70 % of road fatality victims in Nepal are vulnerable
group (The World Bank Group, 2021). The ratio of male to
road users. They include motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians.
female in fatalities with the 15- 49 year age group is 3:1 and
The loss of income and medical expenses can thrust a family
affected disability from road crash injuries per 100,000 people
into deep poor. Despite the Covid 19 lockdown in Nepal, the
is recorded as 1084 life years.
number of road-related accidents has not reduced noticeably.
Road crash fatalities and injuries snapshots are presented below.

Country population 1016 28,982,772 Country reported fatalities 2016 2006

WHO estimated Fatalities 2016 4622 GBD estimated fatalities 2016 6765
WHO est. fatalities per 100,000 pop 2016 15.9 Estimated serious injuries 2016 69330
Cost of fatalities and serious injuries 2016 $1,194 million Cost as % of country GDP, 2016 5.6 %
(Source: The World Bank Group, 2021)

Positioning of Country in Region

Country 2016 WHO 2016 GBD 2016 WHO 2016 GBD % trend in Motorization
Estimated Estimated Estimated Estimated fatalities Registered
road fatalities road fatalities fatalities fatalities rate/100,000 Vehicle/100,000 pop
rate/100,000 rate/100,000 (2013-2016)
pop. pop.
Nepal 4622 6765 15.9 22.88 -0.6 % 8071
Best Performing Countries in Region.
Maldives 4 32 0.9 7.25 -4.0% 21737
Pakistan 27,582 52,807 14.3 25.16 -3.1% 9,499
Best Performing Countries Globally
Switzerland 223 334 2.65 3.89 -5.4% 71,182
Norway 143 215 2.72 4.09 2.4% 75,544
Singapore 155 197 2.76 3.53 -4.9% 16,604
Sweden 278 390 2.83 3.88 -3.2% 62,037
(Source: The World Bank Group, 2021)

Nepal has revived the National Road Safety Council (NRSC) Amendment of the Motor Vehicle and Transport Management
led by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport as Act, Strategy of National Road Safety Council, Safety Manual
an apex body for road safety in the country. Going forward, the for Non-strategic Road Network, design guideline for safer
government needs to enact the road safety bill and fully empower roads, Standard for a safe vehicle, vehicle inspection procedure,
the National Road Safety Council to have ownership of the road establishment of safety unit in Ministry of health and population
safety agenda (Schafer, 2021). It is the right time to invest in are major lapses in the implementation in road safety.
safe system-based intervention. This includes designing safer
roads, improving vehicle standards, traffic enforcement, and Bibliography
encouraging positive road user behavior. It requires bringing Nation, U. (011). Global plan for the decade of action for road
different agencies responsible for road safety including safety. New York.
transport infrastructure, traffic, police, health, emergency care,
and education. The major achievements in road safety in Nepal Orgainzation, W. H. (2011). Global Plan. Technical document .
in the last decade can be explained as the use of convenient Organization, W. H. (2021). Decade of action for road safety.
free telephone service in road crash, operation of trauma
Schafer, H. (2021). World Bank Blog. website: World Bank .
centre, inclusion of work zone safety in contract, initiation of
amendment of vehicle and transportation act. Different trainings The World Bank Group. (2021). Global Road Safery Facility.
for concerned authority are another achievement. The road The World Bank Group.
safety audit accreditation training supported by World Bank is
MoPIT, Nepal, Draft final report on Review of Nepal Road
another achievement. From this training 10 persons are certified
Safety Action Plan, 2021-2030, 2020.
as valid auditors in road safety. It is hoped that this may work
as a milestone in the improvement of road safety during road Nepal Road Safety Action Plan 2013-2020.
infrastructure development. There are some major gaps in
Road safety status and some initiatives in Nepal, K. N. Ojha
the implementation of the Decade of Actions of Road Safety.
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 9. Legal Requirements for Removal of Trees and
Acquisition of Forest Area in Road Projects
-Manoj Aryal, Environment Inspector, Geo-Environment and Social Unit (GESU), DoR
e-mail: [email protected]

9.1 Introduction: estimated by Department of Forests and Soil Conservation

(DoFSC), needs to be deposited.
The Department of Roads (DoR) is a prime federal body,
under Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport 9.2.2 Forest Regulations 2079:
(MoPIT), Government of Nepal (GoN) responsible for the The regulation mentions about the provisions related to the
development and maintenance of strategic roads, construction management of vulnerable trees, removal of government
and maintenance of bridges, road tunnels and flyovers/via ducts trees within the RoW of roads or canals, and the trees to be
on National Highway. There are defined legal requirements removed for new construction and upgrading projects.
for acquiring the forest area and removal of trees during the
a) Management of vulnerable trees/trees in office
construction and upgrading of these road infrastructures. This
premises:
article aims to visualize the legal provisions and procedures
for acquiring the forest area and removal of trees for various Rule (36) under the provisions related to the management
projects under DoR and also help to understand the removal of of vulnerable trees, Sub-rule (1) states that the vulnerable
government trees from Right of Way (RoW) declared roads and trees from government offices, public institutions, other
office premises in simplified steps. office premises those do not have the proof of land
ownership and the vulnerable road side trees, trees of
waiting sheds, trees near water resources/springs, trees
9.2 Legal Provisions: near religious sites i.e. not from the forest area, which
Forest Act (FA) 2076 and Forest Regulations (FR) 2079 are deemed disastrous to life and property if no immediate
the governing laws mainstreaming the process for removal of action performed can be removed by Divisional Forest
trees and acquisition of forest area for various projects. The Officer (DFO) as per the decision/recommendation of the
Environment Protection Act (EPA) 2076 and the Environment committee coordinated by DFO. Rule (37) has provision of
Protection Regulations (EPR) 2077 are supportive laws that removing vulnerable trees from government offices, public
help make the process of such intact. institutions, other office premises that have the proof of
land ownership as per the decision/recommendation of the
9.2.1 Forest Act 2076:
committee coordinated by DFO. The committee comprises
Section (42) of this Act has provisions related to the use DFO as coordinator and representative officer of District
of forest areas for development projects. Sub-section Administration Office, representative officer of District
(1) states, if there is no alternative to use the forest area Land Management Office, representative officer of District
for National Priority Projects, projects approved for Survey Office, representative police officer of respective
investment by the National Investment Board, National Police Office, ward chief of respective ward of Local
Pride Projects, and any project requires to use the forest Government as members. Sub-rule (4) of Rule (36) states
area and has very insignificant negative environmental that if a tree falls or swiped due to any natural causes and
impacts as recommended by the environmental assessment obstructs public roads, highways, electricity lines, drinking
reports as per prevailing laws, the Government of Nepal water, drainage, canals or rivers, the DFO can remove them
shall grant a permission for using such forest area. Section in coordination with the respective agencies.
(45) of the Act mentions about the provision of Forest
b) Provisions related to removal of trees from RoW:
Development Fund (FDF) where required amount for
compensation cost for removal of trees, cost required for Sub-rule (3) of Rule (102) has provision of removal of
compensatory plantation and care over for five years, the trees, for expansion/upgradation of the roads or canals,
cost of acquiring forest area and the cost for plantation from RoW of any roads or canals, the RoW of which had
of trees of acquiring the forest area in the ratio of 1600 been declared by GoN of Nepal prior to the promulgation
individual trees plantation per hector (Rule 93-6, FR), as of FA 2049. The concerned project can ask to DoFSC

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with the respective departmental recommendation (DoR 10. Letter regarding the assurance of budget and documents
for RoW declared roads) for the removal of such trees for of budget assurance for the priority projects being
the purpose of expansion or upgradation and DoFSC may implemented by Local Government.
grant the permission for the removal of such trees after the
e) Others:
necessary technical assessment.
Rule (92) has provision of Land Acquisition Facilitation
c) Provision of removal of trees from the National
Committee under the Coordination of Chief District
Forests:
Officer (CDO). The members of this committee shall
If trees are to be removed in new development projects/ be the Head of District Land Management Office, Head
projects with no declared RoW, there is a clear provision of District Survey Office, Head of District Treasury
in Sub-rules (1) and (2) of Rule (102) of the FR 2079. Controller Office, Chief of Ward of respective ward
After the agreement between the development project and of respective Local Government, Respective DFO and
DoFSC for removal of trees and acquisition of forest area, Project Chief of respective project as Member Secretary.
as per Rule (94), removal of trees will be done as per Sub-
rules (1) and (2) of Rule (102).
9.3 EPA 2076 and EPR 2077:
d) Required documents to be attached with request letter
These are supportive laws for removal of trees and acquisition
for acquiring forest area:
of forest area for a particular project. These laws mandate to
Rule (88) has the provision for requesting the GoN for the conduct and approve EA reports i.e. Brief Environmental Study
acquisition of forest area for development projects/RoW (BES)/Initial Environmental Examination (IEE)/Environmental
not declared road projects with following documents: Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to the implementation of any
projects. Section (3) of EPA and Rule (3) of EPR has defined the
1. Feasibility Report/Report indicating the required data of
list of projects requiring BES, IEE and EIA in Annex-1, Annex-2
forest area with the valid reasons and basis,
and Annex-3 of EPR respectively. Approved BES, IEE and EIA
2. Permission Letter/ License from the concerned bodies if reports recommend for the total number of trees to be removed
the project requires such letter, and total forest area to be acquired for the implementation of
a particular project. Based on the recommendation of these
3. Approved Environmental Assessment (EA) Report,
approved EA reports, GoN grants permission of removal of
4. Information sheet regarding the forest area to be acquired trees and use of forest area for the project. If the data regarding
and the number of trees to be cleared for the project, removal of trees and forest area to be acquired varies with the
data of DoFSC during verification, these laws also have provision
5. Detailed Project Report, Detailed Engineering Report,
to carry out and approve Supplementary EIA report/Updated
Documents regarding approved program of such project,
IEE or BES report/Updated Environmental Management Plan
6. Decision of National Planning Commission for National (EMP) as per the requirement of the project and proceed for the
Priority Projects, removal of trees and acquisition of forest area. The provisions
of FA 2076, FR 2079, EPA 2076 and EPR 2077 hence are
7. Project Development Agreement with the Decision of interlinked for the removal of trees and acquisition of forest
National Investment Board, if the project investment is area for a particular project.
through National Investment Board,
Process for Removal of trees and Acquisition of Forest Area:
8. Legal Documents indicating National Pride Project for
The required process for removal of trees from the office
the National Pride Projects,
premises of Road Division Office (RDO), RoW declared road
9. Letter regarding the assurance of budget and documents projects before the commencement of FA 2049 and the removal
of budget assurance for the priority project being of trees and acquisition of forest area for new road projects/
implemented by Provincial Government, RoW not declared roads has been visualized in the figure 9.1,
9.2 and 9.3 respectively.

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 Fig. 9.1: Process for removal of trees from RDO premises

Fig. 9.2: Process for removal of trees from RoW declared roads
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 Fig. 9.3: Process for removal of trees and acquisition of forest area for new projects/ RoW not declared roads

9.4 Conclusion: cost and time sensitive implementation of the development

projects. Meanwhile, the quality control mechanism of
Legal requirements for the removal of trees and acquisition of
such reports also needs to be highlighted through intensive
forest area for the implementation of the development project
knowledge enhancement practices not only of the consultants
are deemed process oriented as summarized above. The process
preparing such reports but also of the concerned stakeholders
is interconnected with the approval of EA reports and quality
of the assessment procedures including individuals and
of such reports. The approval of such report traverses through
institutions under GoN. Smooth, early and timely coordination
technical assessments, legal and administrative requirements
between concerned stakeholders also can generate momentum
resulting in temporal stretching to a final product. The variation
for maintaining the quality of EA reports, early approval of EA
of data for removal of trees and acquisition of forest area in
reports and approval and implementation of removal of trees
the approved EA report and verification by DoFSC generates
and acquisition of forest area for development projects.
the legal requirement for approval of supplementary EIA
report, updated IEE/BES report or updated EMP, consequently
hindering the projects through administrative and technical 9.5 Legal Documents Reviewed:
procedurals, incrimination of time and cost of the project. The
development projects are also hindered due to the cost for GoN (2076) Forest Act (FA) 2076, Government of Nepal.
removal of trees and acquisition of forest area that needs to GoN (2076) Environment Protection Act (EPA) 2076,
be deposited in the FDF prior to the agreement with DoFSC. Government of Nepal.
GoN has not yet devised the mechanism to ensure the cost to be
deposited so as to smoothen the process for removal of trees and GoN (2077) Environment Protection Regulations (EPR) 2077,
acquisition of forest area. Government of Nepal.

Formulation and implementation of shorten procedural set up GoN (2079) Forest Regulations (FR) 2079, Government of
for the approval of EA report is an utmost requi rement for the Nepal.

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 10. Photographs of the few works in Fiscal Year 2079-80

Before Improvement After Improvement

(a) Phogotraph of Jadibutti chowk before and after improvement

Proposed Alternatives for Koteshwor-Tinkune Intersection

Different alternatives Flyover towards Tinkune Chowk

Flyover towards Jadibuti Chowk

(b) Schematic diagram of different alternatives of Intersection improvement plan for

Tinkune Intersection 50 big (Flyover +Cut and cover tunnel + Flyover)

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 1- View of Rebar setting at Portal 2- View of Concrete Lining

3-Setting of Geotextile and Water Proofing Membrane 4- View of Invert Concrete

(c) Photographs of under-construction Naghdhunga Tunnel

Advisory Board
Chief Advisor : Sushil Babu Dhakal, DG
Advisors : Ram Hari Pokharel, DDG
: Bhuwan Adhikari, DDG
: Prabhat Kumar Jha, DDG
: Naresh Man Shakya, DDG

Editorial Board
Chief Editor : Dr. Bijaya Jaishi, DDG, DCID
Editors : Prem Prakash Khatri, SE, FRSMO, Damak
: Sujan Adhikari, SDE, HMIS-ICT Unit
: Saurabh Bajracharya, SDE, QRDC
: Mahendra Majhi, Er., HMIS-ICT Unit
: Saujanya Nepal, Er., PMEU Unit

DoR Address: Department of Roads (DoR), Chakupat, Lalitpur, P.No. : 01-5529075

See you again with DoR Newsletter Vol. 31

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