The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $30.575 million in assistance for modernising sections of the East-West and Prithvi highways in Nepal, including widening a 70-kilometre stretch of the East-West Highway and upgrading an 8.7-kilometre section of the Prithvi Highway. The package includes a $28.5 million loan and is also intended to improve road safety and protect wildlife through environmentally friendly measures, including wildlife crossings.
Highway sections included in the package
The main construction component covers the Narayangadh–Hetauda section of the East-West Highway. The plan is to expand the 70-kilometre stretch from two lanes to four lanes. It also includes work on the 8.7-kilometre Muglin–Aanbukhaireni section of the Prithvi Highway. The assistance is directed at modernising these key highway sections, according to the project details reported by News of Nepal.
The two corridors are distinct parts of the package: Narayangadh–Hetauda is on the East-West Highway, while Muglin–Aanbukhaireni is on the Prithvi Highway. The stated lane expansion applies to the Narayangadh–Hetauda stretch. The project information does not specify a lane count for the Muglin–Aanbukhaireni section, describing it as a section to be upgraded.
Safety and environmental measures
The assistance is not limited to road expansion and modernisation. It also targets road safety and wildlife conservation, with the highways to be made safer and more environmentally friendly. Wildlife-friendly crossings are among the measures identified for the work.
The planned crossings are intended to address wildlife movement alongside highway improvements. The available project details do not provide further information on the number, design or exact locations of the crossings, or on other specific safety and conservation measures. They do, however, identify road safety and wildlife protection as part of the overall package rather than as separate from the highway works.
Funding details and reported amount
The reported assistance totals $30.575 million, including a $28.5 million loan. The summary accompanying the announcement also describes the package as worth more than Rs 40 billion. Those two figures do not appear consistent: the dollar amount stated is far below a rupee equivalent of Rs 40 billion. The exact rupee value should therefore be confirmed before the larger figure is treated as the value of this assistance.
The approval brings together financing for highway works with measures focused on safety and the environment. The project details provided identify the roads and planned interventions, but do not specify a construction timetable, the expected completion date, the full project cost or the financing terms beyond the loan amount.
The approved package covers two highway sections and combines a four-lane expansion on Narayangadh–Hetauda with improvements on Muglin–Aanbukhaireni. It also includes a stated commitment to safer roads and wildlife-friendly infrastructure. Further details on implementation and the design of the environmental measures were not included in the announcement information provided.
