Road Classification in Nepal according to Nepal Road Standard 2070

All Strategic Roads in rural areas being built in Nepal must conform to Nepal Road Standards -2027(Second Revision 2070), often known as NRS-2070. Urban and non-strategic (Local) highways should have independent specifications, according to the rules and regulations.

ROAD CLASSIFICATION:

Roads in Nepal are classified as follows:

• Administrative Classification
• Technical/ Functional Classification 

Administrative Classification:

Roads are administratively classified in order to determine their national importance, the level of government in charge of their overall management, and their financing options. Roads are divided into the following categories using this classification:

1. National Highways 
2. Feeder Roads 
3. District Roads 
4. Urban Roads

National Highways:

• National Highways are major roads that link the East and West and the North and South of the country.
• These bear the intercommunity mobility, directly serve the majority of longer distance travel, and consistently offer a higher degree of service in terms of travel speeds. 
• They are identified by the letter "H" and a two-digit number.

Feeder Roads:

• Feeder roads are important localized routes. 
• These serve the needs of the entire community and link district administrative offices, important business hubs, and tourist destinations to national highways or other feeder roads. 
• They are identified by the letter "F" and a three-digit number.

District Roads:

• District Roads are significant roads that run through a district, providing access to markets and production areas while also linking to neighboring districts or major highways.

Urban Roads:

• Urban Roads are the roads serving within the urban municipalities.

Technical / Functional Classification:

Roads are divided into the following classes for the purpose of allocating different geometric and technical parameters for design:

1. Class I: Class I roads are the highest-level highways with divided carriageway and access control (Expressways), and they must have an ADT of 20,000 PCU or higher over a 20-year perspective period. For this type of highways on flat terrain, a design speed of 120 km/h was used.
2. Class II: Class II roads have an ADT of 5000–20,000 PCU over a 20–year horizon. For this type of highways on flat terrain, a design speed of 100 km/h was used.
3. Class III: Class III roads have an ADT between 2000 and 5000 PCU over a 20-year perspective. For this class of highways on flat terrain, a design speed of 80 km/h was used.
4. Class IV: Roads classified as Class IV have an ADT of less than 2000 PCU over a 20-year perspective period. For this class of highways on flat terrain, a design speed of 60 km/h was used.

The most important deciding component for road design is the road's class, which is determined depending on the volume of traffic it receives. However, Table 1 shows that there is approximately a link between the administrative and functional classes of the roadways.

Design parameters for various classes of roads are given in Table 2.

Table 2