Integration of Comprehensive Environmental and Social Measures into Low-Volume Road Design for the Hills of Nepal

Road construction through Nepal’s hilly and mountainous terrain has historically had a significant impact on the local environment and land-owners, primarily because of the steep and often unstable terrain traversed, monsoonal climate, necessity for low-cost roads, and no landowner compensation for compulsorily acquired land. The design phase of the Road Maintenance and Development Project sought to incorporate comprehensive environmental and social measures into the design of low-cost roads in the western hills of Nepal to achieve more stable and lower-impact roads. The project involved the design of 196 km of new roads and 253 km of upgrading to existing roads by integrating engineering, environmental, social, and economic factors throughout the design process. The project began with the screening of candidate project roads on the basis of economic, environmental, and social factors by using a weighted scoring system to select those roads that would be most advantageous in relation to passenger and goods transport and associated economic development, while minimizing adverse environmental and social impacts. Proposed new road alignments were refined primarily through a walkover survey by a multidisciplinary team, ensuring that environmental and social issues were incorporated into this key stage of road design, when significant impacts can be avoided. Detailed road design incorporated comprehensive environmental management and social planning through integrated planning. Project outcomes include road designs that would increase road stability and have fewer construction impacts and the first comprehensive land and property compensation program for road construction in Nepal.