POKHARA UNIVERSITY

Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal

School of Engineering
Urlabari-3 Mangalbare, Morang

A proposal on:
DETAIL SURVEY, DESIGN AND COST ESTIMATION OF
SUSTAINABLE URBAN ROAD WITH POTHOLES
CONTROL MEASURES
A final year project proposal submitted for the partial fulfilment of the requirement of
Pokhara University for bachelor degree in civil Engineering.

Submitted To:

Department of Civil Engineering

Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal

School of Engineering

May, 2023
 Project title: ‘Detail survey, design and estimation of
sustainable urban road with potholes control measures.’

Submitted By:

Anup Khadka - (2075/BCE/04)

Anup kishor Neupane – (2075/BCE/05)

Bidur Katuwal – (2075/BCE/14)

Khagendra Tumbahamphe – (2075/BCE/34 )

Madav pokhrel – (2075/BCE/ )

Nisha Khanal – (2075/BCE/41)

Submitted To:

Department of Civil Engineering

Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy Nepal

School of Engineering

Approved By:

………………………………

Head of Department

Department of civil engineering

Madan Bhandari Memorial Academy

School of Engineering

Urlabari-03, Mangalbare
Table of contents:
 1. INTRODUCTION :
1.1. Background
Road had been the efficient mode of transportation since many
decades as the fundamental aspect of infrastructure development. Roads are defined
as the routes or paths that connect two or more places. The history of roadways in
Nepal dates back to Malla regime where road served as the pathways for horse driven
carts to carryout commercial activities and social interactions. Also road were used by
pilgrims as traditional routes Trans Himalayas routes to travel across the country.
However, the development of modern road infrastructure in Nepal began in mid-20th
century. Construction of East-West highway which was completed in 1960s was a
significant milestone in Nepal’s road development. With rapid urbanization, Nepal
continued to expand its road networks since 1970s and 1980s that connects villages
and remote areas and towns. Terai region which is southern low land belt of country
has undergone significant urbanization in recent decade, leading to increase in traffic
and need for improved road infrastructure.

Proposed road from Thapa chowck (Mangalbare) to Teli River

consist of 10% black topped road with existing potholes, 60% of the area is existing
earthen road and the rest 30% is a walking trail. The existing road had been facing the
severe problems of potholes formation, poor drainage, improper geometric designs
and undulations which needs to be addressed and further extension of the road is
seems to be a necessity. The construction of modern urban road as per the norms of
urban road standard (2076) and Nepal Rural road standard (NRS 2055) seems to be
need of an hour for the existing locality for planned urbanization.

1.2. Project Location

The project area is located at Urlabari-03, Mangalbare Morang. It
goes south from the East- West highway at Thapa chowck and follows a path to end at
the Teli River in further south region.

1
 Figure 1 : Location of the project area

1.3. Problem statement

There has been the considerable population growth and increase in
number of household around the proposed which induced greater number of traffic
and increased need of urban roads with better facilities. There seem to have poor
drainage system, improper surface level and existing potholes issues in the existing
road path due to which the transportation facility in the area is highly affected during
the monsoon season and causes difficulty. The existing black topped path too seems
to have faced the issue of pothole formation within the short span of its construction.
Thus, the project along with the learning objective for the detail survey, design and
estimation of urban road and addressing of potholes issues is intended to construct the
safe, economical, efficient and easy road for betterment of transportation facility in
the area.

2
1.4. Objectives

1.4.1. Overall objective

To carry out the detail survey, design and cost estimate of the
sustainable urban road addressing the potholes formation issue.

1.4.2. Specific objectives

i) To fix the alignment for the urban road from Thapa chowck to Teli River.

ii) To carry out detail survey in the fixed alignment.

iii) To generate maps of road alignment with topographic features.

iv) To design the geometric features of road with the appropriate standards.

v) To generate cross-section and profile graphs of the road.

vi) To estimate the probable cost of construction.

vii) To identify the causes of potholes formation in the existing road.

viii) To study the control measures for potholes issue.

3
 2. LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1. Various factors involved in urban road construction

For the proper construction and operation of an sustainable urban road

there are various factors to be considered from engineering point of view which are
discussed below:

a) Geometric Design

The geometric design of road deals with the dimensions and layout of
visible features of the road. The emphasis of geometric design lies on addressing the
requirement of driver and the vehicle such as safety, comfort, efficiency, etc. with
considerations to environmental and social effects of the design on surrounding
infrastructures. The features normally considered under the geometric design of roads
can be grouped as:

Cross sectional elements:

Camber, super elevation, traffic lane, carriageway, shoulder, median strips, right of
way, side slopes, extra widening of pavement, noise barriers etc.

Sight distance characteristics:

Stopping sight distance, overtaking sight distance etc.

Horizontal and vertical alignments:

Radius of curves, curve lengths, transition curve, grades etc.

There are certain considerations that must be properly addressed in the design process
to successfully fit the road to site's topography and maintain its safety. Some of these
design considerations are:

• Design speed

• Design vehicle

• Topography

• Traffic factors

• Design hourly volume and capacity

• Road user behaviour

• Environmental and other factors

4
The operational performance of a highway can be seen through drivers' reactions to
the design considerations and their interaction.

b) Materials

Most common materials used in road construction can be classified into three groups:

1. Mineral materials such as sub grade soil, sand (fine aggregates), stone chips,
gravel (coarse aggregates), pit-run sand or river sand, screened materials, blast
furnace slag, brick pebbles. Soils are used expensively for embankment construction,
in the construction of soil stabilized layer. Stone aggregates are used in pavement
construction and off road structures. These are also used as filter materials as the
backfill behind retaining walls and in subsurface drainage.

2. Binding materials include:

a) Stone dust or cohesive soil.

b) Cement, line and other inorganic binding materials.

c) Bitumen, tar and other organic materials.

The first group of binding materials results in semi-rigid and semi-flexible bond
between the mineral particles. Inorganic binding materials form rigid, irreversible
bonds whereas all organic binding materials provide thin film of binding action which
is flexible and reversible in nature.

3. Other common building materials such as reinforcing steel, timber, stone,

bricks, boulders, cobbles, and gabion wires.

3. Drainage system design

Designing for proper drainage of highway systems is crucial to their

success. Regardless of how well other aspects of a road are designed and constructed,
adequate drainage is mandatory for a road to survive its entire service life. Excess
water in the highway structure can inevitably lead to premature failure, even if the
failure is not catastrophic. Each highway drainage system is site-specific and can be
very complex. Depending on the geography of the region, many methods for proper
drainage may not be applicable. The highway engineer must determine which
situations a particular design process should be applied, usually a combination of
several appropriate methods and materials to direct water away from the structure.

5
Erosion control is a crucial component in the design of highway drainage systems.
Surface drainage must be allowed for precipitation to drain away from the structure.
Highways must be designed with a slope or crown so that runoff water will be
directed to the shoulder of the road, into a ditch, and away from the site. Designing a
drainage system requires the prediction of runoff and infiltration, open channel
analysis, and culvert design for directing surface water to an appropriate location.

2.2. Potholes in urban roads

A pothole is a depression or cavity that forms on a road surface
typically as a result of wear and tear, weathering, and other forms of damage.
Potholes are a common problem on urban roads and can be caused by variety of
factors such as heavy traffic, extreme weather conditions, and poor maintenance.
Potholes can be dangerous for drivers, cyclist and pedestrians as they can cause
accidents and damage to vehicles. To prevent potholes, regular maintenance of road is
essential. This include filling in cracks and holes before they become larger, repaving
roads when necessary, and improving drainage system to prevent water from pooling
in roads.

Figure 2 : Potholes in urban roads

2.3. Urban roads standards and related studies

 Nepal urban road standard (2076) : The focus of this standard is in urban area
respecting the traffic volume and composition of traffic focusing on non-
motorized vehicles with the requirements for urban services e.g. water supply,
sewage, drains, electricity etc. The objective of this standard is to achieve
consistency in urban road design and construction (Nepal urban road standard,
2019)
 Nepal Road standard (2070) : As mentioned in the introduction of this
standard it is stated that NRS-2070 shall apply to all the strategic roads in rural
areas being constructed in Nepal (NRS, 2013).

6
 Strategic risk management practices in Urban road construction project of
Nepal (2020) : Overall objective of this research is to analyse the risk
management practice in urban road construction project with case study of
Siddharthanagar municipality Rupandehi Nepal from contractors and client
prespective (Adhikari & Mishra, 2020).

 The project on urban transport improvement for Kathmandu valley (2017) : A

master plan for establishment of sustainable transport with high mobility,
safety and comfort. This master plan was necessary as consequence of rapid
urbanization and increased traffic volume caused by rapid population growth
(JICA, 2017).

7
 3. METHODOLOGY

2.1. Various factors involved in urban road construction

 4. EPILOGUE

4.1. Expected output

The project is expected to provide following output:

 The plan as well as the longitudinal profile of the proposed site.

 The detailed requirements for cutting and filling along the road alignment.
 The requirement of retaining structures in sloppy area.
 The detailed design of cross section elements of roads.
 The detail design of drainage system in road.
 The detailed study about the causes of potholes occurrence in road and its
preventive measures during design and construction.
 The detailed estimation for the completion of road project.

4.2. Work Schedule

The project work schedule is as follows

Activities Week Week Week Week Week Week Week

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Discussion, proposal
preparation and
presentation
Preliminary survey
Detailed survey and
field works
Data analysis and
calculations
Detailed Design
Preparation of DPR
and project
documentation
References:

Adhikari R & Mishra AK, 2020, Strategic Risk management practice in Urban road
construction project in Nepal, Retrieved from
<https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=4283788>

Nepal Urban road standard, 2019, Ministry of urban development, Government of

Nepal.

Nepal road standard, 2013, ‘Nepal road standard-2070’, Government of Nepal.

Japan International Corporation Agency, 2017, The project on urban road

construction project in Nepal, Vol-2.