Road Maintenance & Development Project (RMDP)

The policy of His Majesty's Government of Nepal (HMGN), as detailed in the Ninth Plan (HMGN, 1997), includes the construction of motorable roads to all non-road connected District Headquarters. The Priority Investment Plan (PIP) Project, completed in 1997, identified 10 potential new roads that would provide connections to 12 districts. The PIP Project screened and prioritized these potential roads, most of which are under construction as earthen roads.
The PIP Study identified a series of project components including maintenance programs upgrading and new construction activities for the Strategic Road Network located in Western Nepal. The Road Maintenance and Development Project (RMDP) was formulated to further refine the recommendations of the PIP Study and to advance these recommendations through to implementation. The project has now passed through a planning stage that has identified and detailed the works to be undertaken through World Bank funding.

The components that make up the RMD Project are:

The Policy Component has the objective of establishing a Road Board and a Road Fund that will be responsible for financing road maintenance programs executed by contracts by the various road agencies in Nepal. The goal of the policy component is to establish an adequate and stable source for financing road maintenance and therefore to preserve the road asset and to reduce total road user’s costs.
The New Road Development and Upgrading Component that has the objective of the construction and/or upgrading of sections of the strategic highway network to connect currently non-road-served District Headquarters in Western Nepal. The new roads are to be constructed to ‘Fair Weather Earth Track’ standard. Upgrading roads will be upgraded to ‘Fair Weather Gravel Track’ standard. Details about road stretch taken up for new construction and upgrading are as shown in following tables:

Table 1A: Roads to be constructed ( Initially)

Table1B: Roads to be upgraded ( Initially)

The Rehabilitation Component that has the objective to bring a number of nominated existing roads into maintainable condition through rehabilitation. These roads were initially proposed to be rehabilitated in RMRP but were deferred due to shortage of fund.

Table 2: Roads to be rehabilitated ( Initially)

The Periodic Maintenance Component that has the objective to maintain the existing strategic road network of Western Nepal through the development and implementation of a resealing program

Table 1: Periodic Maintenance Programme ( Initially)

The Institutional Strengthening and Training Component that has the objective of expanding the DoR’s capabilities by building on the institutional development activities supported under the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Project. The RMDP will focus on the following initiatives:

• Support for the development of a comprehensive human resources development program;
• Expansion of the environmental and social capabilities of DOR, to assist with project design and management, and enhance the quality of outputs (own and externally funded);
• Support of DOR’s efforts to expand its mechanical training activities to cover private sector personnel;
• Establishment of a technical audit and third party operational audit capacity; and
• Other Institutional Activities, which include short-term inputs to RSSDU, GEU, MEU of the Department of Roads.

Progress status (Till December 31, 2004)

The Project has completed five years of the credit period. The road projects listed in this section covers the new road projects introduced or modified or restructured during WB mid term reviews in Nov 2002 and Nov 2003.

The project has achieved following progress in the New Construction components of strategic roads viz.

The project has achieved following progress in the Rehabilitation of three strategic roads viz.

The project has achieved following progress in the Periodic Maintenance works of the following sections of strategic roads:

The project has achieved following progress in the Upgrading of three strategic roads viz.

Action Taken During 1st Mid Term Review (November 2002)

The Mid-term Review of the project took place on November 2002, which took decisions that the project development objectives have to be revised and other roads that could be completed on the current security situation could be taken up.
Restructuring of the project was carried out, as the implementation of new construction was found to be difficult due to the deteriorating security conditions.
Following three roads included for new construction were dropped:
1. Sanfebagar- Martadi
2. Kalikot- Jumla and
3. Chhedegadh- Jajarkot roads

The savings from the dropping of these roads were allocated to the maintenance of the strategic roads. After restructuring of the project, the following targets have been set in civil works:

New Construction: about 50 km fair weather earthen road to connect two DHQs - Darchula and Mangalsen.

Upgrading: about 200 km of existing earth standard road to fair weather gravel standards connecting three district headquarters. Further upgrading of gravel to bituminous sealing roads of 210 km (including Gorusinge-Sandhikharka)

Rehabilitation Component: about 180 km of existing strategic network in the Far-Western and Western Development Region including Silgadhi-Sanphebagar.

Periodic Maintenance Component: aiming to carry out periodic maintenance of highways and feeder roads (about 535 km including Syaule-Silgadhi)

Routine, Recurrent Maintenance: carrying out regular maintenance of covering about 4770 km of strategic network.

Emergency Rehabilitation Maintenance: in specific places of strategic road network

In the process of MTR a “Frame work for Institutional Strengthening of DoR” has been developed together with action plan for further strengthening the DoR’s capability. The main components of the Institutional Strengthening for the remaining period are:

• Review of the future requirement of DoR for emergency works and develop a right sized, commercially viable Mechanical Division.
• Execute necessary survey for road condition, vehicle axle, and traffic volume
• Procurement of Information technology services and equipment to improve DoR’s Management Information System
• Consultancy services to update and complete the policy program, standards and guidelines for Bridge Unit and Road & Traffic Unit

Action Taken During 2nd Mid Term Review (November 2003)

The World Bank reviewed RMDP during November 2003. As per the review report and Aid Memoie, there is need for restructuring in some of the project works. The possible restructuring has been identified and reconfirmed by HMG/N. Needful additional study is in progress.
As per the proposed restructuring, the following roads are included in the RMDP for necessary periodic maintenance, rehabilitation, and upgrading works & the project period shall be extended up to 31st December 2006:
• Mugling- Narayanghat Section: 36 km
• Dadeldhura- Patan – Satbanjh Road: 53 km
• Mirchaya- Katari- Sunkoshi: 72 km
• Pathlaiya- Chauraha Road: 134 km
• Community-based works in Jumla Kalikot Road Section: 36 km

Institutional Component: Following actions are taken:

• Supporting the DOR, RSSDU in the management of DOR trainingactivities in the field of human resource development of DOR,
• Strengthening and commercialization of Mechanical Training Center in DOR
• Strengthening the GEU, DOR for development of environmental and social planning/ monitoring capabilities within DOR
• Preparation of DOR Business planning/ Corporate Action plan for its gradual transfer to Road Authority
• Assessment of DOR MIS/IT needs and preparation of bid documents for necessary IT equipment procurement for DOR
• Assessment of DOR staff appointment and transfer policy
• Review of DOR’s laboratories/ quality control units
• Preparation of road safety education materials and guidelines
• Design and supervision of DOR Building renovation works
• Procurement of consulting services for the preparation of Standard documents for Road and Bridges, Revision of Nepal Road Standard, 2027, and updating of Bridge inventory and condition survey were made and field works are ongoing.
• Procurement of consulting services for conducting the necessary surveys for Road conditions, Traffic count, Axle load, Road Inventory, GIS mapping was complete and field survey works ongoing .

The Stretches to be included in Performance based Maintenance Contract have been surveyed and finalized which are the following parts of East-West Highway.
1. Hetauda-Narayani Bridge, Kohalpur-Karnali
2. Karnali-Sivaganga (15 Km east of Attaria),
3. Siva Ganga-Gadda Chauki