Brief Summary of the Project

The Government of has taken up programme for up-gradation and improvement of State Highways. Uttarakhand Public Works Department (UKPWD) has been entrusted with the assignment of Preparation of Feasibility study and Detailed Project Report for selected corridors of State Highways in Uttarakhand under Uttarakhand State Highway Improvement Project (USHIP). Public works Department plans to develop hilly state highway roads to intermediate lane facility in a sound technical and most economical manner, taking into consideration the environment and social aspects of the area, quality audit and safety audit requirement in design and to carry out through the financial analysis for the implementation. UKPWD has appointed M/s SM Consultants as consultant for carrying out the feasibility study and preparation of detailed project report of six state project highways under Uttarakhand State Highway Improvement Project Package 3. Rudraprayag – Pokhari – Gopeshwar Motor road (SH 35; Length: 111.720 km) is one of the state highways which is proposed for the improvement and upgradation from single lane to intermediate lane standards.

NEED OF THE PROJECT  The road connects the Towns of Rudraprayag, Pokhari, Gopeshwar and Chamoli besides 24 number village settlements. The entire road lies in mountainous steep terrain ranging from height of 660 m to 2365 m from msl Rudraparyag – Pokhari – Gopeshwar is alternative route for NH 58 in case of emergencies. This road being in border districts (international) are also important from strategic point of view. Thus improvement of the project road will provide enhanced facilities to the pilgrims, to the local inhabitants, to the administration and also to the Army for their activities on the international border with Garhwal region of Uttarakhand. Upgradation of road will add into the economy of the area and the State.

Project road description: The Project road starts from junction with NH 109 at Rudraprayag and ends near Gopeshwar on NH 107A. The road lies partly in the district of Rudraprayag and Chamoli. The length of the road is 111.72 km. The project road passes through villages like MaykotiGaon, Durgadhar, Khadpatiya, Kandadhar, MaliyalGaon, Uniyalakhal, Devkhal, Samola, Gair and terminates at Gopeshwar

Salient Features:

a) The entire stretch of the project road comes under hilly terrain and traverses through Chamoli and . b) The project road has single lane configuration with earthen shoulders. There are few built up areas in between. c) The existing project road has 26 culverts, 502 scuppers, and 83 surface causeways and 2 vented causeways. d) There is no major bridge on this road but 11 numbers minor bridges exist e) The project road does not pass through any protected area, wildlife sanctuary, and National park and Eco-sensitive zone. f) Tentative length of affected forest area along the proposed alignment is about 39.10 km. Chainage wise distribution of the forest area is given in table below:

Table: Forest Area alongside the proposed alignment of Rudraparyag – Pokhari – Gopeshwar Motor road (SH 35) Chainage Length Reserve Forest Circle Name Division Name From To (km) Rudraprayag Dist. 28.300 30.000 Naini Devi RF Garhwal Rudraprayag Forest Div 1.700 Circle 33.800 35.800 Pogta RF Garhwal Rudraprayag Forest Div 2.000 Circle Chamoli Dist. 37.200 43.500 Ragsi RF NDBR Wildlife Div 6.300 64.000 76.000 Trisula RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 12.000 76.200 76.400 Trisula RF (pine NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 0.200 forest) 77.000 83.000 Trisula RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 6.000 86.000 89.000 Trisula RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 3.000 90.500 95.200 Trisula RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 4.700 97.000 97.500 Saikot RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 0.500 102.200 104.200 Trisula RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 2.000 107.300 108.000 Trisula RF NDBR Kedarnath Wildlife Div 0.700 39.100 *Approx length measured on the basis of SoI maps. Exact length of affected forest area shall be calculated after joint inspection with forest dept. during detailed designing. 0.2 PROJECT PROPONENT: The project proponent is Uttarakhand Public Works Department, Government of .

0.3 PROPOSED IMPROVEMENTS The project road will be upgraded to intermediate lane standards as per the IRC. Proposed development will be as per latest IRC Guideline with an aim to provide maximum safety in the design of the highway geometry, pavement, shoulders and other pertinent components for an uninterrupted flow of through traffic along the project stretch with the provision of road junctions. The overlay thickness to be provided is to be decided with respect to the conditions of the existing road. Salient features of the improvement are given as below:

1) There are total of 11 minor bridges. Out of 11 minor bridges, 9 requires reconstruction, 2 are proposed for new construction. The improvement proposal includes repair, rehabilitation, widening and reconstruction of the culverts and bridges which are in poor condition. 2) RCC covered drain in built-up section has been proposed. RR Masonry in the cutting section is proposed and Open earthen drain is proposed for open area. 3) Road marking, road sign, kilometer stone, Delineators and objects markers, Guard post and Crash barrier will also be provided at the appropriate locations.

0.4 TOTAL COST OF THE PROJECT Estimated cost of the construction of project is 686.642 crore.