NEPAL COLLEGE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

(Affiliated to Pokhara University)

Balkumari, Lalitpur

A
Report

On
Road Project on Koteshwor-Kalanki Ring Road from Balkumari Chowk
(0+000m) to (0+100m) towards Gwarko Chowk
SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING TO FULFILL MINOR
PROJECT I REQUIREMENTS
Submitted By: Supervisor:
Ayush Shrestha (161802) Er. Subir Rai
Ajay Shrestha (161803)
Anurag Joshi (161806) Submitted To:
Rajat Bastola (161831) Department of Civil Engineering
Sachet Parajuli (161837)
Sidhant Gurung (161841)

February 2019
Abstract
The project deals with the case study of Koteshwor-Kalanki highway especially the measurement
of various cross-sectional elements like median, shoulder, camber, curb, footpath, drainage etc.
From these measurements the existing road is compared to the Nepal Road Standard (NRS) 2070
to see if it follows the guidelines of the NRS.
We measured the total width of the road as 7.5m with 2 lanes each 3.75 m wide. The median was
measured to be 1.51m wide separating the two lanes with adjacent 4 lanes of road. The curb
height of the road was measured to be 0.21m high on each side of this road. The camber of this
road was calculated at every 20m and the average camber was found to be 1.70%. A footpath
with of 1.632m was provided on the right side of this road along with an adjacent gutter or
drainage of width 1. 028m.The street markings were also measured during this project. The
center line marking was found to be 1.480m long while the spacing between two markings were
4.460m. This marking was white in color. The end of the road markings was painted in yellow
and measured 2m long with 2m gaps between adjacent markings. The width of centerline
marking was 0.144m while that of end of road marking was 0.150m.
Comparison of the above data with the NRS revealed that some elements of this road did not
follow the proper guidelines of the NRS. While the most important element, the width of
pavement, was according to the minimum specified width of 7m, other elements such as median
width (min 3m, 5m in general), Shoulder (absent in this road), camber (min 2.5%) were not
found according to the guidelines of the NRS. Also, other traffic management systems like traffic
lights were absent in this road.

Road Project Page | 1

Acknowledgement:
It gives us immense pleasure to express our deepest sense of gratitude and sincere thanks to our
highly respected and esteemed guide Er. Subir Rai for his valuable guidance, encouragement and
help for completing this work. His useful suggestions for this whole work and co-operative
behavior are sincerely acknowledged.
We would like to express our sincere thanks to our HoD Er. Dev Raj Joshi, for giving us this
opportunity to undertake this project.
We are also grateful to whole civil department faculty for their constant support and guidance.

Road Project Page | 2

Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................1
Acknowledgement:..........................................................................................................................2
Table of Contents.............................................................................................................................3
Introduction:.....................................................................................................................................5
Common Elements of a Road:......................................................................................................5
1. Road Surface (Pavement):....................................................................................................5
2. Lane:.....................................................................................................................................5
3. Footpath:...............................................................................................................................6
4.Shoulder:................................................................................................................................6
5. Median:.................................................................................................................................6
6. Cant or Cross Slope or Camber:...........................................................................................6
7. Curb:.....................................................................................................................................7
8. Grade:....................................................................................................................................7
9. Profile:..................................................................................................................................7
10. Gutter:.................................................................................................................................7
Classification of Roads in Nepal:.................................................................................................7
1. Administrative Classification...............................................................................................7
2. Technical/ Functional Classification....................................................................................8
Project Scope:...................................................................................................................................9
Objectives.......................................................................................................................................10
Methodology:.................................................................................................................................11
1. Primary Data Collection:........................................................................................................11
2. Secondary Data Collection:....................................................................................................11
3. Drawing of plan and Cross section of road:...........................................................................11
4. Comparison with NRS:...........................................................................................................11
5. Documentation:......................................................................................................................11
Comparison with Nepal Road Standard (NRS):............................................................................12
1. Pavement and Lane:...............................................................................................................12
2. Shoulder:.................................................................................................................................12
3. Medians:.................................................................................................................................12
4. Camber:..................................................................................................................................13
Result/Discussion:..........................................................................................................................14
Conclusion:....................................................................................................................................15
ANNEX..........................................................................................................................................16
References:.....................................................................................................................................17
Road Project Page | 3
Introduction:
A road can be defined as a wide way leading from one place to another, especially one with a
specially prepared surface which vehicles can use.
According to Wikipedia “A road is a thoroughfare, route, or way on land between two places that
has been paved or otherwise improved to allow travel by foot or some form of conveyance,
including a motor vehicle, cart, bicycle, or horse.”
The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines a road as "a line
of communication (travelled way) using a stabilized base other than rails or air strips open to
public traffic, primarily for the use of road motor vehicles running on their own wheels", which
includes "bridges, tunnels, supporting structures, junctions, crossings, interchanges, and toll
roads, but not cycle paths".
The 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic defines a road as the entire surface of any way or
street open to public traffic.
The assertion that the first pathways were the trails made by animals has not been universally
accepted; in many cases animals do not follow constant paths. Some believe that some roads
originated from following animal trails. The Icknield Way may exemplify this type of road
origination, where human and animal both selected the same natural line. By about 10,000 BC
human travelers used rough roads/pathways. So, it can be said that the history of roads began
with the advent of human civilization.
The Koteshwor-Kalanki ring road was recently handed over to the Nepal government by the
Chinese government. The widening of the road section under the Kathmandu Ring Road
Improvement Project was carried out through the Chinese government’s aid. The road widening
project had begun five years ago and was completed in December 2018.
We selected this road as our minor project because of the variety of road elements available in
this road as well as the close proximity of this road from our campus. The following are some
common elements of this road studied in this project.

Common Elements of a Road:

1. Road Surface (Pavement):
A road surface or pavement is the durable surface material laid down on an area intended to
sustain vehicular or foot traffic, such as a road or walkway. In the past, gravel
road surfaces, cobblestone and granite setts were extensively used, but these surfaces have
mostly been replaced by asphalt or concrete laid on a compacted base course. Road surfaces are
frequently marked to guide traffic. Today, permeable paving methods are beginning to be used
for low-impact roadways and walkways. Pavements are crucial to countries such
as US and Canada, which heavily depend on road transportation. Therefore, research projects
such as Long-Term Pavement Performance are launched to optimize the life-cycle of different
road surfaces.
2. Lane:
A lane is part of a roadway (carriageway) that is designated to be used by a single line of
vehicles, to control and guide drivers and reduce traffic conflicts. Most public roads (highways)
have at least two lanes, one for traffic in each direction, separated by lane markings. On

Road Project Page | 4

multilane roadways and busier two-lane roads, lanes are designated with road surface markings.
Major highways often have two multi-lane roadways separated by a median.

Some roads and bridges that carry very low volumes of traffic are less than 15 feet (4.6 m) wide,
and are only a single lane wide. Vehicles travelling in opposite directions must slow or stop to
pass each other. In rural areas, these are often called country lanes. In urban areas, alleys are
often only one lane wide. Urban and suburban one lane roads are often designated for one-way
traffic.
3. Footpath:
A footpath or footway, is a path along the side of a road to be used by pedestrians. A sidewalk
may accommodate moderate changes in grade (height) and is normally separated from the
vehicular section by a curb. There may also be a median strip or road verge (a strip of vegetation,
grass or bushes or trees or a combination of these) either between the sidewalk and the roadway
or between the sidewalk and the boundary.
4.Shoulder:
A shoulder, or hard shoulder is an emergency stopping lane by the verge of a road or motorway,
on the right in countries which drive on the right, or on the left side in India, Japan, the UK,
Australia, and other left-side driving countries. Many wider US and Swedish freeways have
shoulders on both sides of each directional carriageway, in the median as well as at the outer
edges of the road, for additional safety. Shoulders are not intended for use by through traffic,
although there are exceptions. The purpose of building a shoulder are:
 In the event of an emergency or breakdown, a motorist can pull into the shoulder to get
out of the flow of traffic and obtain a greater degree of safety.
 Emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire trucks & police cars may use the shoulder
to bypass traffic congestion.
 Active traffic management, used on busy multi-lane roads, may allow 'hard shoulder
running' by general traffic at reduced speeds during periods of high traffic volumes.
 In some places a "bus bypass shoulder" may be provided which allows bus services to
pass stationary traffic.
 Paved shoulders provide additional space should a motorist need to take evasive action
(such as avoiding a wrong-way driver) or need to recover control of their vehicle before a
run-off-road collision occurs.
 In some urban areas, shoulders are used as travel lanes during peak commuting hours.
5. Median:
The median strip or central reservation is the reserved area that separates opposing lanes of
traffic on divided roadways, such as divided highways, dual carriageways, freeways, and
motorways. The term also applies to divided roadways other than highways, such as some major
streets in urban or suburban areas. The reserved area may simply be paved, but commonly it is
adapted to other functions; for example, it may accommodate decorative landscaping, trees, a
median barrier or railway, rapid transit, light rail or streetcar lines.
6. Cant or Cross Slope or Camber:
A cant is the slope of the road surface downwards away from the center of the road, so that
surface water can flow freely to the edge of the carriageway.

Road Project Page | 5

The cant of a railway track or camber of a road (also referred to as superelevation, cross slope or
cross fall) is the rate of change in elevation (height) between the two rails or edges. This is
normally greater where the railway or road is curved; raising the outer rail or the outer edge of
the road providing a banked turn, thus allowing vehicles to maneuver through the curve at higher
speeds than would otherwise be possible if the surface is flat or level.
7. Curb:
A curb (American English), or kerb (Australian English, British English), is the edge where a
raised sidewalk or road median/central reservation meets a street or other roadway.
Curbs may fulfill any or several of a number of functions. By delineating the edge of the
pavement, they separate the road from the roadside and discourage drivers from parking or
driving on sidewalks and lawns. They also provide structural support to the pavement edge.
Curbs can be used to channel runoff water from rain or melted snow and ice into storm drains.
There is also an aesthetic aspect, in that curbs look formal and "finished". Since curbs add to the
cost of a road, they are generally limited to urban and suburban areas, and are rarely found in
rural areas except where certain drainage conditions (such as mountains or culverts) make them
necessary.
8. Grade:
Grade refers to the longitudinal slope of the road. Slopes in road may be unavoidable due to
terrain or obstacles.
rise
Mathematically, Grade = .
run
9. Profile:
The profile of a road is defined as the vertical alignment of a road, expressed as a series of
grades, connected by parabolic curves.
10. Gutter:
A street gutter is a depression running parallel to a road designed to collect rainwater flowing
along the street and divert it into a storm drain. A gutter alleviates water buildup on a street,
allowing pedestrians to pass without walking through puddles and reducing the risk of
hydroplaning by road vehicles. When a curbstone is present, a gutter may be formed by the
convergence of the road surface and the vertical face of the sidewalk; otherwise, a dedicated
gutter surface made of concrete may be present. Depending on local regulations, a gutter usually
discharges, as a nonpoint pollution source in a storm drain whose final discharge falls into a
detention pond (in order to remove some pollutants by sedimentation) or into a body of water.
Not all streets have gutters, and they are most often found in areas of a city which have high
pedestrian traffic. In rural areas gutters are seldom used and are frequently replaced by a borrow
ditch.
According to NRS 2070 guidelines, there are various specified dimensions for these above-
mentioned elements of a road. One may refer to NRS 2070 for detailed information concerning
the guidelines. According to NRS 2070, roads can be classified as follows:

Classification of Roads in Nepal:

1. Administrative Classification
Administrative classification of roads is intended for assigning national importance and level of
government responsible for overall management and methods of financing. According to this
classification roads are classified into:
Road Project Page | 6
National Highways
National Highways are main roads connecting East to West and North to South of the Nation.
These serve directly the greater portion of the longer distance travel, provide consistently higher
level of service in terms of travel speeds, and bear the inter-community mobility. These roads
shall be the main arterial routes passing through the length and breadth of the country as a whole.
They are designated by letter „H‟ followed by a two-digit number.

Feeder Roads
Feeder roads are important roads of localized nature. These serve the community's wide interest
and connect District Headquarters, Major economic centres, Tourism centres to National
Highways or other feeder roads. They are designated by letter „F‟ followed by 3-digit number.

District Roads
District Roads are important roads within a district serving areas of production and markets, and
connecting with each other or with the main highways.

Urban Roads
Urban Roads are the roads serving within the urban municipalities.
In Nepal the overall management of National Highways and Feeder Roads comes within the
responsibility of the Department of Roads (DOR). These roads are collectively called Strategic
Roads Network (SRN) roads. District Roads and Urban Roads are managed by Department of
Local Infrastructure Development and Agricultural Roads (DOLIDAR). These roads are
collectively called Local Roads Network (LRN) roads.

2. Technical/ Functional Classification

For assigning various geometric and technical parameters for design, roads are categorized into
classes as follows:
Class –I
Class I roads are the highest standard roads with divided carriageway and access control
(Expressways) with ADT of 20,000 PCU or more in 20 yrs. perspective period.
Design speed adopted for design of this class of roads in plain terrain is120 km/h.
Class II
Class II roads are those with ADT of 5000-20000 PCU in 20 yrs. perspective period. Design
speed adopted for design of this class of roads in plain terrain is 100 km/h.
Class III
Class III roads are those with ADT of 2000-5000 PCU in 20 yrs. perspective period. Design
speed adopted for design of this class of roads in plain terrain is 80 km/h
Class IV
Class IV roads are those with ADT of less than 2000 PCU in 20 yrs. perspective period. Design
speed adopted for design of this class of roads in plain terrain is 60 km/h

Road Project Page | 7

Project Scope:
This project consists of the case study of an existing road in Nepal -The Kalanki-Koteshwor Ring
Road Highway recently constructed by the Chinese government and handed over to the Nepal
government. The various aspects such as dimensions of cross section elements like median, curb,
camber shoulder, footpath, drain etc. are explored in this project.
This project is carried out by six BE students of NCIT college, Balkumari, Nepal for fulfilment
of minor project requirements. This project covers the basic elements of a road as well as the
presentation of above data. This data can be used to obtain useful information about various
elements of a road and to understand their importance in a road.

Road Project Page | 8

Objectives
 To measure the cross-section elements of Koteshwor-Kalanki Highway from Balkumari
chowk (0+000m) towards Gwarko chowk (0+100m).
 To compare the above data with Nepal Road Standard (NRS).
 To document the above findings.

Road Project Page | 9

Methodology:
In this case study the method of primary as well as secondary data collection method was used
and the data collected was used to create plan and section of the road. After the preparation of the
cross section and plan, NRS was consulted to see if it meets the recommended guidelines of the
code. In general, the following methods were adopted:

1. Primary Data Collection:

We thoroughly conducted a reconnaissance of the road and prepared a rough sketch of the road.
From this we got the idea of the general layout of this road. We then went on to measure each
and every aspect of the road like footpath, curb, camber, pavement, road surface markings, gutter
etc. with a measuring tape. This data would be used to create a plan and section of a portion of
the road. We then used a levelling instrument and measured the levels of the right side, left side
as well as the center of the road. This would help us calculate the camber of this road. This
levelling was done every 20m interval.

2. Secondary Data Collection:

The source of secondary data were various books available in the library of our college. Apart
from this we also consulted various websites and Nepal Road Standard (NRS) downloaded from
http://dor.gov.np. This provided us with the common by laws used in the design of a road. It also
provided us with the various components of a road and how they together serve to create a
functional road. Apart from books and NRS, several websites were consulted in preparation of
this report. We collected data about various elements of a road, how their dimensions or positions
are fixed in the guidelines given by the NRS.

3. Drawing of plan and Cross section of road:

After completion of collection of primary and secondary data, the primary data was used to
create a cross section of the road depicting various components and their dimensions. This will
allow us to compare the existing road with NRS and to see if it satisfies the guidelines of the
NRS. This would also allow us to understand the different components of a road way. A plan of
the road was also created which will help us compare different road markings on the road.

4. Comparison with NRS:

The completion of the section of the road allowed us to compare the aspects of this road with the
NRS. The NRS previously consulted was used to compare various road aspects. Nepal Road
Standard 2070 as well as Nepal Urban Roads Standard 2071 (Draft) were the major codes
consulted during this comparison.

5. Documentation:
Finally, we documented each and every step in the process along with the comparisons and
drawings. The comparisons done with the NRS guidelines were put under different headings like
pavement, curb, camber, median etc. This documentation helps a reader understand different
aspects of this road and also to compare if it is constructed following the guidelines of NRS.

Road Project Page | 10

Comparison with Nepal Road Standard (NRS):

1. Pavement and Lane:

Th road surveyed was a two-lane one-way road. The width of the single lane was 3.75m and the
total width of the road was 7.5m.
According to NRS 2071 section 11 ROAD CROSS SECTION ELEMENTS and subsection 11.1
Carriageway the following are the guidelines:
Multilane pavements width per
Single lane road Intermediate lane
lane
3.75
(upto 3.0 m in difficult 5.5 3.5
terrain)

From the above table we can see that the constructed road width is more than the minimum
specified width of 3.5m per lane. Hence it is as per the guidelines to the NRS.

2. Shoulder:
According to NRS 2071 section 11 ROAD CROSS SECTION ELEMENTS and subsection 11.2
Shoulder the following are the guidelines for shoulder in a road in Nepal:
Road Class Class I Class II Class III Class IV
Minimum
3.75 2.5 2.0 1.5
shoulder width, m

In spite of a guideline stating that there should be a shoulder in the road, we found no shoulder in
the road. The absence of shoulder in this road indicates that it does not comply with the
guidelines of the NBC.

3. Medians:
We measured the width of the median in this road to be 1.51m wide. It also contained drain
underpasses of height 0.1m connecting the two roads separated by the median. The drain
underpasses present in the median were 0.6m wide and were placed 10.858m apart from the next
one.
According to NRS 2071 section 11 ROAD CROSS SECTION ELEMENTS and subsection 11.3
Medians the following are the guidelines for medians in a road in Nepal:
a. For roads with 4 or more lanes, it is recommended to provide medians or traffic
separators. Medians should be as wide as possible.
b. A minimum median width of 5m is recommended. But a width of 3m can be adopted in
areas where land is restricted.
c. In mountainous and steep terrains maximum possible width of median dictated by the
topography should be provided. In such situations simple barriers may be provided to
function as a median or individual carriageway could be designed at different levels.
Road Project Page | 11
 d. On long bridges and viaducts the width of the median may be reduced to 1.5m, but in no
case this should be less than 1.2m.
e. The median should be of uniform width in a particular section of the highway. However,
where changes are unavoidable, a transition of 1 in 20 must be provided.
The NRS guides to create a median as wide as 5m but to restrict it to 3m where land is limited. In
spite of separating a 4 lane road and a 2 lane road, the median width of 1.51m is very small for
such a wide roadway. Hence, the width of median is insufficient for the road.

4. Camber:
The camber of the road from the elevated left end of the road was calculated to at different
chainage along the road with a levelling machine. The following are the data of camber in
different sections:
Chainage Camber (%)
0+000m 1.373
0+020m 2.040
0+040m 1.826
0+060m 1.720
0+080m 1.573
0+100m 1.667

The average camber of this section of the road was calculated to be 1.70%. According to NRS
2071 section 11 ROAD CROSS SECTION ELEMENTS and subsection 11.5 Camber the
following are the guidelines for a camber.
Pavement type Cement Concrete Bituminous Gravel Earthen
Camber, % 1.5 to 2.0 2.5 4.0 5.0

In spite of being a bituminous road the camber was found to be only 1.70% instead of minimum
2.5%. Hence camber was not according to the guidelines of the NRS.

Road Project Page | 12

Result/Discussion:
From the measurements, the following specifications of the road can be summarized:
 Pavement width = 7.5m
 Lane Width = 3.75m
 Median width = 1.51m
 Curb depth = 0.21m
 Footpath Width = 1.632m
 No of Lanes = 2
 Width of Drainage = 1.028m
 Length of lane divider marking = 1.480m
 Gap in lane divider marking = 4.460m
 Length of end of road marking = 2.00m
 Gap in end of road marking = 2.00m
From the above measurements conducted with a measuring tape, a plan of the road as well as the
cross section of the road was drafted using AutoCAD 2018. This plan not only helps to visualize
the road but also helps us to compare the road with the NRS. The following parameters were
found to be within the specified code:
 Pavement width (7.5m) 3.75m per lane.
While above parameters fell within the recommendation of NRS, the following parameters were
not according to the NRS:
 Shoulder width (not present)
 Median width (1.51m against minimum of 3m)
 Camber (1.70% against minimum of 2.5%)
While this road follows some guidelines of the NRS, all of its components does not satisfy the
minimum recommendations of the NRS. Another important observation about the road was about
traffic lights. In spite of carrying a heavy traffic of Lalitpur and Kathmandu, no traffic lights were
seen in the area. In fact, it can be observed that no traffic lights are present anywhere in this road.
This could result in regular traffic jams and investment of manual labor in traffic management.

Road Project Page | 13

Conclusion:
The Kalanki-Koteshwor ring road highway is one of the widest roads in the valley. It consists of
8 lanes of roadway divided in three portions separated by two medians. Its construction was
recently completed under the aid of Chinese government and was handed over to the Nepal
government in December 2018.
In spite of holding a prestigious rank among roads in Nepal, its construction and minute details
were not kept in mind while constructing the road. The absence of shoulder in the road, low
camber, small median and among other things points out that proper guidelines of NRS were not
followed during its construction. The foundation and base of the road is not covered in this report
neither is the alignment of the road. This helped us remain focus on only the cross-section
elements of this road. Another important observation about the road was about traffic lights. In
spite of carrying a heavy traffic of Lalitpur and Kathmandu, no traffic lights were seen in the
area. In fact, it can be observed that no traffic lights are present anywhere in this road. This could
result in regular traffic jams and investment of manual labor in traffic management.
One of the reasons for small median and absence of shoulders could be the unavailability of land
in the congested valley. The camber was also found to be smaller than recommended but could
be overlooked as missing of minute details in a large project.
The NRS 2070 contains very useful guidelines for the construction of a road. It is mandatory to
follow these guidelines for the construction of any road in Nepal but some elements

Road Project Page | 14

ANNEX

Sheet No: 1 – Plan and Section of a portion of the road.

Road Project Page | 15

References:
 http://dor.gov.np/home/publication/general-documents/nepal-road-standard-2-7
 www.cen.org.np/uploaded/Urban%20Roads%20Standard%20020215.docx
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grade_(slope)#Roads
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Street_gutter
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross_slope
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Curb
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Road_surface
 https://thehimalayantimes.com/business/chinese-government-hands-over-koteshwor-
kalanki-road/
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lane
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shoulder_(road)

Road Project Page | 16