Araniko Highway, linking Kathmandu and Kodari, is part of Nepal’s strategic road network that connects Tibet, Autonomous Region of China with Nepal. The importance of this road could be judged by the fact that this is the only all-weather road across the mighty Himalayan Range that is open for civil transportation purposes at present. Moreover, this is the only road that links Nepal to a third country besides India. Thus, in the national context, Arniko Highway has a high political and economic significance Built in 1967 under a bilateral Chinese aid, the 180 km long highway starts at Kathmandu and terminates at Kodari, the border township, where a RCC bridge, popularly known as friendship bridge (Miteri-Sanghu), has been built over the Bhote Koshi river, the international boundary between the two countries.

Apart from regular wear and tear, the road has undergone a series of major damages triggered by flood at different occasions. The emergency measures taken earlier (after 1987 high flood) were not sufficient to conserve the road on a long-term basis. Considering the patchy nature of maintenance works in the past, it was decided that a stronger emphasis be put in a system of maintenance which reduces the scope of rehabilitation during project implementation. This concept was labeled as the Araniko Highway Maintenance Project

The project has been co-financed by His Majesty’s Government of Nepal (HMGN) and the Government of Switzerland to fulfill the objectives of secured & improved access for facilitating social and economic development of the region, and to assist in enhancing capabilities of private local construction industry to strengthen them against global competition the Arniko Highway (Maintenance) Project has been implemented by (DOR under financial support of Swiss Development Co-operation (SDC)

The Project included design and construction of highway pavement rehabilitation and landslide stabilization works. Road stretch from Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel included Asphalt concreting whereas from Dhulikhel to Dolalghat included surface dressing (DBSD) works. The project intended to enhance the capabilities of the local Nepalese Consultants and the Contractors to work