Nepal has a diverse geography, divided into three main regions: Terai, Hilly, and Himal. The Terai region, which makes up 17% of Nepal's area, features lowland plains, while the Hilly and Mountainous regions cover the remaining 83%. The country has 80 highways, totaling 14,691 km, with 9,515 km being paved. Of these paved roads, 59% are single-lane, and 41% are double-lane or more. About 65% of the road network is in hilly terrain, with the remaining 35% in plain or rolling terrain.
The Department of Roads (DoR) is responsible for developing, expanding, and strengthening Nepal's highway network in a sustainable way. This effort aims to boost overall socio-economic development, ensure balanced regional growth, and provide support for remote and underserved communities. The DoR employs pavement management strategies, including: a) planned maintenance, which involves routine, recurrent, and periodic activities to keep roads in good or fair condition (SDI = 0-3.0); b) minimal ad-hoc maintenance, followed by rehabilitation when roads deteriorate significantly; and c) minimal maintenance until roads are unserviceable, at which point full reconstruction is necessary.
Since 1994, the DoR has been using its own Road Asset Management System (RAMS), and since 2000, it has integrated a GIS-Web-based system for annual maintenance budget planning. The latest web-based RAMS can determine budgets for regular and preventive maintenance. Through extensive experience, the DoR has developed its own standards for routine and recurrent maintenance and has created an empirical method for selecting roads for periodic maintenance. Additionally, the DoR is exploring global partnerships with leaders in asset management to implement best practices in road management.