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

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 1st Five Year Plan in 1961.

  The country’s first mororable road , Thimphu – Phuentsholing Highway, was completed in 1961.

Expansion of road network over the years

~1500 km in mid 1970s

~2300 km in late 1980s

10578 km today

Classifications of roads

  National Highways;   International/Asian Highways   Primary National Highways (PNH)   Secondary National Highways (SNH)

  Dzongkhag Roads;

  Thromde (Urban) Roads –   Farm Roads –

  Access Roads –

DoR’s jurisdiction

Respective Municipalities MoA and Dzongkhags Beneficiaries/DoR

Motorization level and trend

•  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. 2015.

•  The vehicle per 1000 population

in the country has increased from about 45 in 2005 to about 100 in 2014

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2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014

Veh

icle

Ow

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hip

Year Source: RSTA)

Motorization trend in the past decade

Motorization level – comparison with other countries in the region

•  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

Source: Word bank development indicators (Internet)

Projected motorization trend

•  As per “Bhutan Transport 2040”

document developed by ADB, the motorization per 1000 population is expected touch 400 by 2040.

Source: Bhutan Transport 2040, ADB

Current status of road network in the country

•  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).

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2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012

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in k

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Year (Source: Department of Roads)

Expansion of road network over the years

Current road network in the country

Road length by category/class

Road Category Road Length(km)

Expressway 6.2National Highway 2438.38Dzongkhag Road 1178.29Thromde Road 349.67Farm Road 5375.29Access Road 1230.43

Total: 10578.26

Current Status o f the Vis ion Statements, Policy Instruments and Strategies for development of Road Transport in the Country.

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.

Vision 2020 milestones

Vision statement Milestones Current Status

Construction of Second Transnational highway (Southern E-W Highway)

To be completed by 2017 (end of 11th 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 9th plan)

•  All the PNHs newly constructed/upgraded or being constructed/upgraded are designed for at least 30-ton loading.

Road Sector Master Plan (2007-2027)

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.

Road Sector Master Plan (2007-2027) contd.

Activity Milestones Current Status

2. Major road realignments

•  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

•  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)

3. Construction of road tunnels

•  Possibility for construction of tunnels identified at ten road stretches in the entire road network of the country.

•  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.

Bhutan Transport 2040 – Integrated Strategic Vision (ADB)

Activity Current Status

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

• 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)

Bhutan Transport 2040 contd….

Activity Current Status

2. Introduction of improved engineering and construction technology to reduce overall life cycle costs and provide better pavement quality

•  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

Bhutan Transport 2040 contd….

Activity Current Status

3. Establishment of a maintenance regimen for all national highways and district roads to include pavement management systems and performance contracts

•  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.

Bhutan Transport 2040 contd….

Activity Current Status

4. Progressive upgrading of all Dzongkhag roads to all-weather (sealed) standards to be prioritized based on traffic demand

•  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)

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.

THANK YOU