District road-network planning: Lessons from a Nepalese pilot project

The provision of transport infrastructure, particularly in rural areas, is a key area of development policy, as physical access is seen as a way of improving economic generation opportunities in remote areas. This paper reviews the Pilot Labour-Based District Road Rehabilitation and Maintenance Project (PLRP) in Nepal and its contribution to the preparation of a district transport masterplan. In Nepal, as elsewhere, there is a trend towards decentralised development planning as a way of strengthening rural development at a district level. This decentralisation in Nepal has resulted in district development committees, and rural road-network planning is one of their responsibilities. The PLRP has generally been regarded as a successful way in which to strengthen rural road planning, grassroots involvement and the overall development of districts in Nepal.