Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the mega project prepared by Tech Studio of Engineering (TSE) -- a consultant company working for the Department of Roads (DoR) - divides the highway into 27 sections with length ranging from 34 km to 198 km. [break]The highway passes through 215 villages of 26 districts in 12 zones.
According to the report, the highway will be 8.5 meters wide (two-lane) with speed of vehicles fixed at 50 km per hour.
The number of freight traffic, large bus, small vehicles and motorcycles plying on the highway is expected to rise by 5.4 percent, 6.3 percent, 8.1 percent and 9 percent every year till 2022. Similarly, the number of large bus, small vehicles and motorcycle is expected to increase annually by 5 percent, 5.4 percent, 6.8 percent and 6.8 percent respectively between 2023 and 2032.
The report says a total of 48 bridges need to be constructed along the highway. The longest one (203 meters) will be over the Karnali River on the Saijula-Bellkhet section. The report estimates total cost for bridge construction at Rs 2.89 billion. The length of the bridges varies from 15 to 203 meters.
The highway traverses though mid-hill districts connecting Panchathar in the east to Baitadi in the west.
“As the highway passes through difficult topography in the fragile Himalayan region, the consulting agency has proposed to build roads without conducting blasts,” said Dinesh Prakash Basnet, project chief of Mid-Hill Highway Eastern Sector.
The report also suggests use of environment friendly measures like protection from landslide with the use of cross drainage and flood control, minimal cutting of trees and use of eco-friendly construction materials and technologies.
The report has put total cost for land acquisition at Rs 2.27 billion.
The DoR on Monday had made a presentation on the mega project and its economic significance to Finance Minister Surendra Pandey and senior officials of different line ministries.
The road is expected to open up the prospect of developing hydropower projects in 16 places, tourism destinations in 15 places and housing and agricultural projects in 15 places each. It is also expected to significantly reduce travel distance. Road length between Kathmandu and Dharan for an instance will come down to 333 km from the existing 537 km.
Basnet told Republica that track on 1,550 km stretch of the highway has already been opened, while the works on remaining 226 km were going on. “We expect track opening process to complete by the end of this fiscal year,” he added.
The government has allocated Rs 1.21 billion for the purpose in the current fiscal year.
It will take at least three years to complete the project, Basnet said, adding that Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Exim Bank of India and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) have showed interest in the project.
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