Araniko Highway

The Araniko Highway ( Nepali: अरनिको राजमार्ग | Araniko Rajmarg ) is a trunk road between Kathmandu, capital of Nepal, and the bridge of the Sino -Nepalese friendship on the border with the People's Republic of China. He he is regarded as one of the most dangerous roads in Nepal.

Name

The street is named after the Nepalese architect Araniko, who worked mainly in China. Since this is sometimes also called Arniko, the road is sometimes called Arniko Rajmarg. Rajmarg is the Nepalese name for Highway.

History

The Araniko Highway was built in 1964 with support from the People's Republic of China. Previously, there had been unused by yak caravans load narrow path at this point. In the valleys the road has since been modernized and widened again and again. In the higher altitudes of the Himalayas, the traffic route is still in extremely poor condition, unpaved and sometimes impassable.

Both the anwohnende population as well as Nepalese businessmen criticize unchanged since 1964 states and make a certain lethargy of the Nepalese bureaucracy responsible. The People's Republic of China has repeatedly, most recently in December 2012, offered to expand the Araniko Highway to a modern transport connection. This has not been taken up by the Nepalese side.

Road

The 144 km route runs as a four-lane road initially from Kathmandu to Bhaktapur and then as a two-lane road to Dhulikhel ( about 30 kilometers ). From there, the traffic route over snakes come down into the valley to the Panchkal situated on two rivers village Dolaghat that is often frequented by Western tourists because of the offered there recreational sports, especially rafting trips. Then the highway leading to Barhabise in the district Sindhupalchok (approx. 25 km ). The place is also the terminus for most of the buses arriving from the capital.

The other route is unpaved and increases in the embossed by extreme differences in altitude Himalayan Mountains on. Takes you on many steep slopes along and crosses flat, open streams. Often there is no assurance towards the dirt road to the abyss. During and after rainfall, it always comes back to landslides, with larger masses of soil and rock blocking the way for a long time; Accidents are common.

The town of Kodari is the last settlement on the highway. Currently (as of July 2013) to be created in the vicinity of the place, with financial and technical assistance from the People's Republic of China bigger venues and a truck depot that will serve the rapidly growing movement of goods between countries. The remaining thence to the Chinese border 6 km of the highway to be upgraded.

The Araniko Highway ends at the bridge of the Sino -Nepalese friendship. On the Chinese side of the trail continues over the updated Friendship Highway to Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region, and the National Road 318 eventually to Shanghai.

Economic Importance

Merchandise imports and exports between Nepal and the People's Republic of China to continue growing for years. This is done the vast majority of commodity exchange on the Araniko Highway, the only official road link to the 1,400 -kilometer border between the two states. A part of the goods is transported to India and offered to the northern, the Indian states of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Some goods are brought for further shipment to the port of Calcutta, which was modernized by Chinese investment in parts.

2012 were estimated, transports goods worth about 440 million RMB on the Araniko Highway.