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Kathmandu, November 23: For the first time in the country’s road infrastructure history, a rock shed is going to be constructed along the Siddhartha Highway. The design for the rock shed, which will be built alongside both portals of the under-construction Siddhababa Tunnel on the Butwal–Tansen section of the Siddhartha Highway, has already been completed.

A rock shed is a technology used to protect vehicles and roads from landslides. At landslide-prone locations, a strong sloped roof—made of RCC concrete or steel—is built above the road to form the rock shed. Landslides falling on the rock shed slide over the roof and reach the river or slope below, keeping the road unaffected. Traffic continues to move freely underneath the shed. According to Engineer Navaraj Bastola, head of the Siddhababa Tunnel Project, the rock shed is being constructed to protect the road and vehicles from the frequent landslides that occur along this section of the Siddhartha Highway.

He explained that since both portals of the tunnel are located in areas with heavy landslide risk, the rock shed will first be built alongside the portals. According to him, the rock shed will be 780 meters long. Due to heavy landslides causing frequent loss of life, this section of the highway is also known as the “death route.” Statistics show that in the past decade, 70 people have died in landslides in the Siddhababa area. Project chief Bastola stated that the rock shed is being built under the tunnel construction project itself, saying, “The design of the rock shed has been completed and approved. Construction of the rock shed will begin once the tunnel work is completed. Due to management, manpower, and resource limitations, work is currently focused only on the tunnel.”

Former chief of the Siddhababa Tunnel Project, Engineer Krishna Raj Adhikari, stated that along with the rock shed, the project will also carry out slope stabilization on the hills to control landslides along the Siddhartha Highway. He said, “The tunnel is being constructed in the area with the highest landslide risk. Slope stabilization will be done in areas with relatively lower risk. Similarly, to prevent small falling stones from above, rock barriers will be built by installing mesh nets. Through this technology, stones cannot fall directly onto vehicles, people, or the road.”

Engineer Bastola further stated that the rock shed will be constructed under the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) model. Under this model, the selected construction company must carry out the design and commissioning of the rock shed by itself. In such a model, the company is responsible for everything from design and procurement to actual construction, reports Gorkhapatra daily.

People’s News Monitoring Service.