CURRENT STATUS OF ROAD TRANSPORT POLICIES, SYSTEMS AND PROJECTS IN BHUTAN

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1 CURRENT STATUS OF ROAD TRANSPORT POLICIES, SYSTEMS AND PROJECTS IN BHUTAN Jangchuk Yeshi Chief Engineer (Design Division) Department of Roads Ministry of Works & Human Settlement Royal Government of Bhutan

2 Brief background of road transport in Bhutan Being a landlocked mountainous country, road is the primary mode of transport in Bhutan and therefore the life line of country s economy. Royal Government has accorded top priority to the development of the road network in the country since the start of the 1 st Five Year Plan in The country s first mororable road, Thimphu Phuentsholing Highway, was completed in 1961.

3 Expansion of road network over the years ~2300 km in late 1980s km today ~1500 km in mid 1970s

4 Classifications of roads National Highways; International/Asian Highways Primary National Highways (PNH) Secondary National Highways (SNH) DoR s jurisdiction Dzongkhag Roads; Thromde (Urban) Roads Respective Municipalities Farm Roads Access Roads MoA and Dzongkhags Beneficiaries/DoR

5 Motorization level and trend Vehicle Ownership Motorization trend in the past decade The motorization level in the country has been increasing rapidly In the past decade, the vehicle ownership has increased by 137% - from 29,941 in 2005 to 70,805 as of Feb Year Source: RSTA) The vehicle per 1000 population in the country has increased from about 45 in 2005 to about 100 in 2014

6 Motorization level comparison with other countries in the region Source: Word bank development indicators (Internet) Bhutan has the highest vehicle ownership per 1000 population among the SARRC countries The vehicle ownership in Asia is typically in the range of 10 to 30 per 1000 population and between 600 and 800 in advanced countries

7 Projected motorization trend Source: Bhutan Transport 2040, ADB As per Bhutan Transport 2040 document developed by ADB, the motorization per 1000 population is expected touch 400 by 2040.

8 Current status of road network in the country Road Length in km Expansion of road network over the years The increase has been more rapid in the last about five to six years. The road length has increased from 5362 km in 2008 to 10,578 km by end of 2013, which is an average annual increase of about 19% over this period (about 870 km of new road per year) Year (Source: Department of Roads)

9 Current road network in the country

10 Road length by category/class Road Category Expressway National Highway Dzongkhag Road Thromde Road Farm Road Access Road Total: Road Length (km)

11 Current Status of the Vision Statements, Policy Instruments and Strategies for development of Road Transport in the Country.

12 Road Transport Policies - Background Vital for providing overall guidance in planning and implementation of the programs and projects for sustainable and integrated development of road transport in the country. Have to be aligned with the overall development policy of the country and the wishes and aspirations of the population Have to based on the scientific studies such as the motorization trends, projected economic growth, environmental considerations, regional connectivity, rural-urban migration trends and so on.

13 Vision 2020 milestones Vision statement Milestones Current Status Construction of Second Transnational highway (Southern E-W Highway) To be completed by 2017 (end of 11 th plan) The proposed Highway will connect Sipsoo in the west with Jomotsangkha in the east of the country. Total Length: 642 km (approx) Completed: 361 km (56%) Remaining: 281 km (Lhamoizingkha Sarpang, Gelephu Panbang, Nganglam Deothang, Samrang-Jomotsangkha) Upgrade current national trunk roads to carry 30- ton capacity trucks. To be achieved by 2009 (end of 9 th plan) All the PNHs newly constructed/upgraded or being constructed/upgraded are designed for at least 30-ton loading.

14 Road Sector Master Plan ( ) Activity Milestones Current Status 1. Construction of Highways for Inter-Dzongkhag connectivity Shingkhar (Zhemgang) Thidangbi (Mongar): 162 km Shingkhar (Bumthang) Gorgan (Lhuntse): 76 km Shingkhar (Zhemgang) - Ura (Bumthang): 49 km Daga Dzong Genekha: 123 km Minjay (Lhuntse) Dongde Dzong (Trashiyangtse): 127 km Shingkhar (Bumthang) - Gorgan (Lhuntse): 12 km out of total approximate 76 km completed and the works on rest are yet to start.

15 Road Sector Master Plan ( ) contd. Activity Milestones Current Status 2. Major road realignments 3. Construction of road tunnels Serpang Sengor: 6 km (road length reduction (rdl) = 12 km) Reffe-Khosala: 16 km (rdl = 12 km) Damchu Chhukha: 24 km (rdl = 19 km) Wangdigang Tingtibi: 16 km (rdl = 39 km) Total Length of road realignment = 62 km Possibility for construction of tunnels identified at ten road stretches in the entire road network of the country. Serpang Sengor: Not started Reffe - Khosala: 13 km completed Damchu Chhukha: 15 km completed. Wangdigang Tingtibi: 16 km completed Total Length completed = 44 km (71% complete) Feasibility studies are being carried out by Department of Geology and Mines (DGM) for a road tunnel between Thimphu and Wangdue with the help of a Norwegian Government agency.

16 Bhutan Transport 2040 Integrated Strategic Vision (ADB) Activity 1. Widening of the existing East West Highway (and other key routes) to two lanes, with alignment improvements to reduce travel times and enhance safety Current Status Double laning of Northern East-West Highway ongoing 60 km out of total 385 km complete (16% complete). Work planned to be completed by 2017 end) Thimphu Phuntsholing Highway: 100% complete Samdrup-Jongkhar Trashigang Highway: 108 km out of total 180 km complete (60% complete)

17 Bhutan Transport 2040 contd. Activity 2. Introduction of improved engineering and construction technology to reduce overall life cycle costs and provide better pavement quality Current Status Thicker road pavement being used to enhance durability and riding comfort and reduce life cycle cost Manual road construction methods being replaced by semi or fully mechanized methods Traditional road construction method replaced by more sustainable EFRC method

18 Bhutan Transport 2040 contd. Activity 3. Establishment of a maintenance regimen for all national highways and district roads to include pavement management systems and performance contracts Current Status Performance Based Maintenance Management System (PBMMS) being implemented for routine maintenance works for roads. Hybrid Maintenance being piloted in three Regional Offices under DoR covering about 300 km. Road Asset Management Yet to develop a proper scientific system. Technical and financial assistance being sought from World Bank for development of the system.

19 Bhutan Transport 2040 contd. Activity 4. Progressive upgrading of all Dzongkhag roads to all-weather (sealed) standards to be prioritized based on traffic demand Current Status The black topping of the feeder roads connecting to Geog centers, called the GC roads is ongoing. Total length of GC road: 1900 km (approx.) Total length of GC roads for which the black topping works are either ongoing or are at various stages of tendering: 1200 km (planned to be completed by fall of 2017)

20 Conclusion Road sector continues to be one of the most important thrust areas of government s development efforts and therefore enjoys maximum share of the country s development spending. For activities such as the bitumen sealing of the Dzongkhag roads and major highway realignment works, the objectives are expected to be achieved ahead of the planned schedule. However, priorities have changed for some activities such as the construction of road tunnels, viaducts and construction of certain road stretches on the southern- East-West Highway due to changing priorities of the country with time. But overall, most of the major activities in the road transport sector are on track as envisioned in the relevant policy documents.

21 THANK YOU