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Bhutan's
Development |
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Bhutan's
Development |
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4,544
kilometres of roads in Bhutan
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infrastructure building high on the priority list in many past plans, Bhutan's
total motorable road length has increased from 4,007 kilometres to about
4,544.73, including forest road, as of June 2006.
According
to a report from the works and human settlement ministry, Chukha
dzongkhag has the largest share of the road network with 486.3 kilometres,
which is about 10.7 percent of the total road network followed by Thimphu
and Mongar with 395. 3 kilometres and 336.3 kilometres. |
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Gasa
dzongkhag has the least road with only 29.5 kilometres of road in the dzongkhag
followed by Pema Gatshel with 98.2 kilometres.
There
are only about 2,485 kilometres of black topped road network.
If
the road network is broken down into highways, district roads, feeder and
farm roads, Bhutan has only 1,556 kilometres of National highways accounting
for 34 percent of the overall road network. District roads account to 11
percent or 510 kilometres. There are about 1246 kilometres of feeder roads,
525 kilometres of farm roads and 574 kilometres of forest roads.
With
the country's population estimated at about 550,000 and regular number
of households at 126,115 as of 2005, about 79,500 households lies within
half an hour's walking distance from the motorable road. However, there
are still about 18,392 households, about 14 percent around the country
which are located at more than four hours of walking distance from the
nearest motorable road.
The
annual report also states that there are about 125 permanent and 110 temporary
bridges in the country categorized into 15 different types. Bailey bridges
are the most popular bridge in the country with 104 bridges followed by
48 RC T-Beam bridges. The total length of all types of bridges in the country
is 6.6 kilometres.
With
the government placing high priority on the construction of trail suspension
bridges to cut walking distances in the rural areas, 444 suspension bridges
were built as of June 2006, according to the report. Samdrup Jongkhar dzongkhag
has the highest number of suspension bridge with 43 bridges followed by
Trashigang with 38. A record of 131 suspension bridges was built in the
Fifth Five Year Plan (1982 to 1987). Fifteen bridges were built in Samtse
dzongkhag alone during the Plan period.
Meanwhile,
the National housing Development Corporation (NHDC) under the works and
human settlement ministry has completed 136 units under the third phase
of the housing complex in Chang Jiji in Thimphu, which is ready for allotment.
The NHDC would complete 306 units of houses in seven dzongkhags by June
this year to address the rising housing shortages in the dzongkhags.
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| Contributed
by KUENSEL, Bhutan's National Newspaper, 2007 |
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Road
Construction in Gasa
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Roads
in Bhutan
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| Information on Bhutan |
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