China-aided Ring Road expansion begins

KATHMANDU, JUN 26 -It was built in the 1970s with with Chinese assistance. Now, after some 40 years, the expansion of the Ring Road is also being carried out with support from the northern neighbour.

The first phase of the Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project took off formally on Tuesday, Vice-president Paramananda Jha and visiting State Councillor of China Yang Jiechi jointly inaugurating the project.

The existing 27-km four-lane two-way road around Kathmandu will now be widened to eight lanes, with a two-way bicycle lane and a pedestrian pathway.

Addressing the inaugural programme, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Chhabi Raj Pant said the improved road would provide better by-pass service to inner roads and ease traffic pressure. “The road has been designed incorporating a bicycle lane and a pathway for pedestrians,” he said.

China’s Vice-Minister of Commerce Jiang Zengwei said the road witnessed tremendous changes in the last 30-40 years.“So we decided to undertake this improvement project,” he said.Nepal and China had signed and exchanged the Letters of Exchange for a Chinese grant of Rs 547 million for the widening of the Ring Road and other mutually agreed projects in February 2011.


The road will be expanded in three phases. In the first phase, 9-km Kalanki-Koteshwor stretch will be improved, which will cost around Rs 5.27 billion. The first phase also includes intersection improvement in three locations, bus stations and parking lots. The three junctions—Kalanki, Satdobato and Kotestwor—will be improved for uninterrupted operation of vehicles. Third Railway Survey and Design Institute Group Corporation of China had prepared the design of the 9-km stretch.

In December, 2012, the Department of Roads and Chinese contractor Shanghai Construction Group Company had signed an agreement for the improvement of the 9-km stretch.

According to the Physical Infrastructure Ministry, Shanghai Construction would first develop 1-km model road in two locations. Shanghai Construction has already started work on the project by setting up its office in Malphokhari, Balkhu.

Road department officials said the Balkhu River-UML Headquarter and Ekantakuna-Gwarko sections have been selected to be developed as model road.

“Based on the 2-km model road, remaining 7-km section will be widened,” said Ashok Tiwari, chief of the project. He said the first phase is expected to be completed in 40 months.

Earlier, China had also shown interest in constructing an Outer Ring Road in the Kathmandu valley. But the plan could not make headway due to the government’s failure to ensure availability of land.