After roads, bridges await expansion

SAMIK KHAREL

KATHMANDU, JAN 28 –

With the acceleration of the road expansion drive in the Capital, around a hundred kilometres of widened roads have meant congestion-free rides for vehicles. However, despite the now wide roads, traffic often comes to a bottleneck when faced with bridges that have yet to be expanded in line with the new roads.

Officials at the Department of Roads (DoR) claimed that they hadn’t been assigned to expand any bridge yet on their prospective reconstruction of nearly 25km of roads. “Most of the bridges on our assignment do not need to be expanded,” said Gopal Khadka of the Kathmandu Road Division at the DoR. However, he said that if the need arises, the bridges would be expanded accordingly.

Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project (KVRIP), however, has been assigned to expand two major bridges—the Bagmati Bridge and the Dhobikhola Bridge connecting Maitighar to Koteshwor. According to Narayan Neure, engineer at the KVRIP, they are on the verge of surveying these bridges. “We have recently acquired survey request proposals from various firms. Once the survey is assigned and the report is received, we will tender the bridge extension,” said Neure. KVRIP plans to extend these bridges on both sides to parallel the expanded roads and also add a cycle lane and footpath. Neure confirmed that the reconstruction of these bridges would begin within this fiscal year.

Experts, meanwhile, have claimed that expanding bridges is a sensitive task as their foundations need to be made stronger before expansion. Most of the bridges in the Kathmandu Valley have a hundred-year lifespan, after which they need to be destroyed and rebuilt. However, Khadka disputed this claim, saying, “Even if we expand bridges in the Valley, we can just extend them without collapsing them. A few of the bridges that might be assigned to the DoR includes Seto Pul, Rato Pul and Bhatkeko Pul, although their expansion isn’t urgent, claimed Khadka.

Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC) chief Bhaikaji Tiwari lamented that concerned authorities are undermining the bridge expansion. “We have put in a lot of work bringing the expansion drive to this level. Most of the main roads have been expanded while bridges are awaiting extension,” said Tiwari.

Refuting the DoR’s claims, Tiwari said that all bridges connecting main roads need prompt expansion. “If not expanded quickly, these bridges will cause congestion again and prove the expansion drive worthless,”

said Tiwari.

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Road expansion: 90km widened; tarring from mid-February

SAMIK KHAREL

KATHMANDU, JAN 23 –

In the ongoing road expansion drive in the Capital, the first phase has seen the demolition of encroaching structures on nearly 100 kilometres. Authorities have begun the second phase of works, aimed at widening an additional 45 km.

According to Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC) chief Bhaikaji Tiwari, 90 percent work on the

hundred kilometres has been over. “We are now working on the remaining 10 km of our first expansion assignment and have also included other roads where we are regularly demolishing illegal structures,” said Tiwari.

Recently, the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Authority (KVTDA) received a partial budget of Rs 49 million, out of which the KVTDIC got Rs 11 million. “Our work was sluggish for a few months. But now that we received the budget, we are working at a rapid pace,” said Tiwari.

The KVTDIC has also been marking areas and structures on the newly assigned 45 km according to their work plan.

Meanwhile, the ongoing winter season is posing hindrances to the blacktopping of roads, to be carried out by the Department of Roads (DoR). While around 9 km was blacktopped before winter, the remaining 16 kilometres await tarring and reconstruction. “We are currently engaged in footpath construction since it is impossible to blacktop roads at the current temperatures,” said Gopal Khadka of the Kathmandu Road Division at the DoR. “Blacktopping at surface temperatures below 14 degrees Celsius will not be durable.”

The Kathmandu Road Division has been assigned 18 roads, out of which only the Maitidevi-Setopul stretch and smaller strips in Chabahil and the Balaju bypass have been blacktopped. Other roads currently under construction include the Bhagwatibahal-Siphal and the Teku-Chhauni strips.

However, Khadka is confident about the construction and blacktopping of the 25 kilometres assigned to the Kathmandu Road Division by this fiscal year. “Once the ground temperature rises, blacktopping will not be a problem. We will resume tarring from mid-February and complete it as soon as possible,” said Khadka.

Other roads, including the Thapathali-Kalanki and the Putalisadak-Sinamangal stretches, are also in the pipeline for expansion and reconstruction.

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Sans blueprint, road expansion going on on ad hoc basis

SAMIK KHAREL

KATHMANDU, DEC 17 –

City people must be wondering what a messy Kathmandu will look like in a few years’ time. Though roads have been widened in every nook and corner, there is no vision for the city.

Although more than a dozen of authorities are involved in the road expansion drive and city planning, none of them has a clue on how to develop the infrastructure. Many amenities—green belts, cycle lanes, and disabled-friendly footpaths—have been promised but the planners are unaware of where and how these will be built.

Officials responsible say they don’t have a blueprint for a future Kathmandu. Most of them say they are doing only what they were instructed. “We don’t know the post-reconstruction face of the city. We are only doing the job assigned to us following set standards and simple engineering sketches,” says Gopal Khadka of the Kathmandu Road Division at the Department of Roads.

Authorities involved in the expansion drive claim it is not their job to develop a blueprint. Chief of Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implemen-tation Committee Bhaikaji Tiwari says no design has been developed as to how the city’s infrastructure will be constructed. “Our task is to demolish structures encroaching upon the road and hand over the construction job to other authorities. It’s the duty of future planners to formulate a design,” says Tiwari.

Tulasi Prasad Sitaula, secretary at the Ministry of Physical Planning, Works and Transport Management, however, does not agree that works were being done without a plan. He said they have developed a design for the road stretch from Maitighar to Tinkune. “We have a proper design for the Maitighar-Tinkune road and we are developing further designs for other roads in the Valley,” said Sitaula. He added that Chinese engineers were surveying and developing a design for the Ring Road. “It will surely have bicycle lanes and a green belt,” he asserted. “It is next to impossible to develop bicycle lanes and green belts,” counters Shyam Kharel, head of the Kathmandu Valley Road Improvement Project. “Even if there is a blueprint for the two, it is impossible to construct them along the Ring Road for lack of space. We have compromised a lot even in the building of standard footpaths due to the space crunch,” says Kharel. “The few bicycle lanes planned will have dead ends. We can just expect to build disabled-friendly footpaths and crossings, which is our priority.”

While the authorities are discussing on a regular basis the future of the expansion, there are some officials who aren’t satisfied with the overall formulation and implementation of the plans. They said too many authorities were involved, resulting in the mess. Keshav Sthapit, commissioner of the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, says the construction is in jeopardy. “We haven’t developed anything of a future plan,” laments Sthapit. “Meetings have been worthless as nothing related to the city’s future plan has been discussed,” he added.

Posted on: 2012-12-17 08:19

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PM’s promise to reconstruct roads by Tihar hard to keep

SAMIK KHAREL

KATHMANDU, SEP 03 –

One year after the road expansion drive began in Kathmandu Valley, various illegal structures have been bulldozed to the ground. The government gave direct orders to municipal, traffic and road officials to right the wrongs in the Capital’s road affairs. The initiative was a good attempt but the government failed to realise that it is easy to destroy, not to build.

The year saw numerous protests, uncleared debris on sidewalks, hammers slamming concrete structures and puffs of dust blowing in the wind. Authorities agree that the expansion drive faces a lack of good coordination and funds, and furious citizens.

Of the 400 kilometres on the expansion agenda, 60 km has been widened while another 40 is set to be cleared of encroaching structures. The remaining 300 kilometres is comprised of smaller link roads, planned to be worked on next. But on the reconstruction side, not a kilometre has been improved. “We lack funds as the government has failed to release it adequately despite assurances,” says Bhai Kaji Tiwari, chief of the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC).

The few re-constructed stretches are near Putalisadak, Lainchaur, Jai Nepal, Nag Pokhari and Chabahil. “We have been able to reconstruct crucial sections with heavy traffic, which don’t make even a kilometre in total,” Tiwari added.

Last week, Prime Minister Baburam Bhattarai, in his address to the nation, promised to rebuild the expanded roads before the festive season of Dashain and Tihar, which is one-and-a-half months away. But officials claim the task is daunting. “It’s impossible to build 100 km road in one-and-a-half months. Maybe we can do some clean-up on most of the roads but construction is next to impossible,” Tiwari confessed.

He said it would take two years only to expand and construct the roads, provided it is done in full pace and with sufficient funds. The KVTDIC has spent 30 million rupees for the expansion so far. Officials estimate that it takes a minimum of Rs 1.5 million rupees to construct 1 km road. Thus, it costs Rs 600 million to ready the expanded roads, excluding the additional costs of paying officials and experts. Since the formation of the authority, the government has failed to release money in bulk. What’s worse, the KVTDIC workforce has not received salary in the new fiscal year. Besides, the authorities have an acute shortage of human resource. The KVTDIC strength has fallen from 114 to 60 officials as the vacated seats have not been filled.

The debris is a risk for people and vehicles. According to DIG Ganesh Rai, chief of the Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, pedestrians tend to use the main road, since footpaths are filled with mud, stone, concrete slabs and bricks. The resultant congestion often causes accidents. Utility poles awaiting relocation from roads are other traps as they are hard to see at night. DIG Rai says they have been asking the Nepal Telecom and the Nepal Electricity Authority to relocate the structures for public safety. An estimated 3,000 poles need relocation across the Valley.

On the bright side, the expansion has helped lessen traffic congestion. “It’s good news that congestion has fallen 30 percent. We hope 100 percent free mobility once the expansion and reconstruction are over,” says DIG Rai.

Officials from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Department of Roads, the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Range, the Department of Urban Development and Building Construction and the Nepal Police meet regularly to discuss the problems. Various committees under the prime minister and the chief secretary are also effortful to clear the mess. However, the apparent lack of coordination among them is promoting the blame game.

To those who claim the road-expansion is unfair and unethical, Tiwai says: “We have abided by law and expanded the roads fairly, without favouring an individual.

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Road expansion drive ‘largely successful’

SAMIK KHAREL

KATHMANDU, AUG 27 –

As part of the ongoing road expansion drive in the Kathmandu valley, the Kalimati-Chhauni road was widened early this week. Road-encroaching structures on a 14-metre stretch were demolished.

The Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC) pulled down walls, concrete houses and huts during the campaign. The authorities are effortful to clean the debris within three days.

Road-widening work has begun also around Battisputali, New Baneshwor and Tinkune. However, the expansion hasn’t completed owing to the additional time sought to manage utility cables. “We haven’t completed works on this route as the locals have requested for some more time. We will complete the job this week,” said Bhai Kaji Tiwari, chief of the KVTDIC.

Expansion is under way on the New Baneshwor-Shankhamul road while the small road linking Shantinagar with Prayag Marga is due for completion in a few days.

According to Tiwari, most of the main roads in the Valley have been wider. “We have completed expanding most of the main roads and are moving to smaller ones. This week’s meeting will decide which small roads are to be expanded. We are now in the process of marking encroachment on the smaller roads.”

Despite financial hurdles and protests from the people, the campaign has quite been a success, said Tiwari. “We have achieved a great deal of success. So far, we have expanded 80 km of the main road,” said Tiwari. Road-widening is overseen by officials from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Department of Roads, the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Range, the Department of Urban Development and Physical Planning and Works and the Nepal Police. In anticipation of protests, some five dozen police personnel are deployed regularly.

“We have seen a lot less traffic congestion from just demolishing encroaching structures. As soon as all the expansion is complete and proper road structures are built, the Valley will have smooth traffic flow,” Tiwari claimed.

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Utility poles still stand in way of road expansion

– Nepal Electricity Authority, Nepal Telecom and road authorities busy pointing fingers

SAMIK KHAREL

KATHMANDU, AUG 08 –

Although the government has been ‘successful’ so far in its road expansion drive, officials have failed to properly account for the utility poles lining the streets. Concerned authorities seem to be busy blaming each other for the lack of will to relocate and properly implant these electricity and telephone poles.

The roadside poles, owned by the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) and the Nepal Telecom (NT), need to be shifted in coordination with the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC), after space is allocated for their relocation now that the roads are being expanded.

According to KVTDIC chief Bhai Kaji Tiwari, the NEA and the NT have not been carrying out their works efficiently to shift the poles and manage the wiring system.

“The authorities who own the poles have been very slow with their work and have not been carrying it out properly. It’s a pity that they have not been able to manage the wires and poles despite our regular requests,” said Tiwari.

However, NEA officials claim that most of the expanded areas don’t have a clear line of sight to relocate the poles to.

“Most of the expanded roads aren’t complete and many structures are still standing. It’s up to the KVTDIC to provide us with space to relocate the poles. We have carried out a survey in most places and have completed work on clear areas,” said NEA Spokesperson Chiranjibi Sharma. “Another problem is locals who seem to think the poles are unsafe and discourage us from planting them.”

NEA Ratnapark Central chief Bhanubhakta Bhattarai said that changing the existing wiring is a difficult and time consuming task.

“All the old wiring has running electricity. To replace it with a new system, we have to disrupt supply and set up an optional line to continue providing electricity to consumers. We normally do this during load-shedding hours and at night. We have completed work in most major areas where road expansion has been over. But we cannot even conduct surveys in places where road expansion is incomplete,” said Bhattarai.

NT Regional Director Madhusudan Karmacharya confirmed the relocation of poles and wire management along 11 major routes that have already been expanded and that others are in the process of completion.

“Our work is in final stages. As soon as the pavements are complete and the area levelled, we will complete the relocation of poles and wiring in all places,” said Karmacharya, adding that they were working more on underground telephone wiring.

“We, having finished most of the primary wiring, have been asked by the government for secondary wiring in many areas,” said Karmacharya.

However, Tiwari claimed that the NEA and NT officials have not completed relocation and wiring.

“They have started work in most areas but only a few places have been complete. They are still pulling wires from existing poles without shifting them in places like Anamnagar. Elsewhere, they are concealing and anchoring poles with the old wiring system. Every meeting, they give us positive responses about completing the work urgently but it is due to a lack of commitment that they haven’t been able to complete the tasks,” said Tiwari.

Authorities meet every two weeks at the Prime Minister’s Office to recount and resolve problems related to road infrastructure. The NEA and NT have both put to tender the jobs to relocate the utility poles.

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Govt tears down encroachment on Teku-Kuleshwor-Balkhu road

Maitighar-Bhadrakali alternate route for public use soon

KATHMANDU, JUL 29 –

The ongoing Valley road expansion campaign reached Teku, Kuleshwor and Balkhu areas on Saturday. The government widened the road from the National Trading building to the Bishnumati bridge and from Ganeshthan towards Chakrapath and ending at the Tribhuwan University gate.

On the initiation of the Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC), various roadside structures, including walls and concrete houses, built encroaching on roads were demolished. The expansion drive saw a deployment of 60 police personnel along the two-km road. Around 30 concrete houses were affected by the expansion.

Bulldozers were forced to take a detour along the banks of the Bagmati river to compensate for the traffic obstruction caused while expanding the road. Local residents protested, demanding compensation for the disturbance.

Bhai Kaji Tiwari, chief of the KVTDIC, said that despite protests, the expansion was carried out successfully. “Protests have always been part of the expansion. We take them as they come. People don’t want to leave their land, despite encroaching on it for several years. But it’s our duty to demolish encroaching infrastructure despite protests. We have also asked locals to take the limited compensation that the government is providing.” Officials from the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Department of Roads, the Kathmandu Valley Development Authority, the Metropolitan Traffic Police Range, the Department of Urban Development and Physical Planning and Works together with the Nepal Police were present during the expansion.

The government has intensified road expansion efforts in recent months, keeping in mind the increasing traffic congestion within the Kathmandu Valley. The KVTDIC has also began expansion work on the three-km road linking Galfutar with Budhanilkantha and is expected to be complete later this week.

Maitighar-Bhadrakali alternate route for public use soon

An alternate route between Maitighar and Bhadrakali will soon be opened to the public. The Nepal Army (NA) helped develop this lane citing security reasons on the original route that bisects the Army headquarters.

The alternate road will connect Maitighar and Bhadrakali through the buildings of Ministry of Health and Population, Agricultural Development Bank and Nepal Food Corporation towards the west from the offices of Rastriya Beema Sansthan to Nepal Telecom connecting the main road at Bhadrakali Temple.

Army Spokesman Ramindra Chhetri confirmed that the alternate road will be opened very soon for the public use. “The alternate track is in the process of gravelling. Once gravelled, we will hand it to the Department of Road who will be responsible for blacktopping. Hence, it will be opened very soon,” said Chhetri.

Last year PM Baburam Bhattarai had directed officials concerned to open the Maitighar-Bhadrakali section used by the Army for general use. This route had remained closed for pedestrians and public vehicles for the past one decade. Following the PM’s direction, the NA proposed the alternate track citing security threats. The opening of the two-way track, which is seven meters wide, will help reduce traffic congestions in Thapathali, Maitighar and Tripureshwor.

Posted on: 2012-07-29 08:20

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Naxal-Mitrapark road broadens

Traffic FM radio to go on air today

KATHMANDU, JUL 22 –

The road expansion campaign continued on Saturday as well as the walls, houses and buildings built encroaching on the roads were brought down from Bhagwati Bahal to Naxal and Pipalbot to Mitra Park.

Authorities demolished around 200 structures, mostly huts, walls and a few concrete houses, in Gaucharan, Kalopul and Setopul leading up to Pipalbot, north of Mitra Park. Sixty police personnel were deployed along the two kilometres of the road linking Naxal and Mitrapark.

The Kathmandu Valley Town Development Implementation Committee (KVTDIC), the government’s body pushing ahead theroad expansion drive, said the main roads will be the main target before expanding smaller ones. “Right now we are focussing on main roads that suffer from a lot of traffic snarls. After we expand all the main roads, then we will expand the small roads and built alternate routes,” said Bhai Kaji Tiwari, chief of the KVTDIC. He also said that local residents have been supportive of the road expansion.

Last week, the road expansion drive widened various main roads in the Capital and is now expanding various other smaller roads within the city. On Friday, 700 meters of the Jawalakhel road was expanded and earlier this week, the road linking Ranibari and Kapurdhara was also widened, but is incomplete due to marking problems. Tiwari said the Ranibari- Kapurdhara road would be complete this week. Officials of the Kathmandu Metropolitan City, the Department of Roads, locals, traffic police and representatives from local organisations were present during the road expansion drive. KVTDIC plans to expand the 3-km road linking Galfutar with Budhanilkantha later this week.

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