Araniko Highway

History

The road was built in the 1960s with help from the Chinese on an older yak track. They also planned to expand the road in 2012, but keeping the route open was made more difficult by landslides from monsoons. The road became a conduit for a large amount of trade between China and Nepal, and also for some trade between India and China when it was open. Till 2021/023, this highway used to be named as National Highway 34.

Etymology

The highway is named after Araniko, a 13th-century Nepalese architect who introduced Nepalese architectural styles to Tibet and China. It is said that he walked from Tibet to China by the route that is now named after him.

Route

Dhulikhel, about 30 km from Kathmandu and at an altitude of 1585 m, is the last major town in the Kathmandu Valley through which the Araniko Highway passes. Next comes Barabise and Tatopani, the final destination for many buses from Kathmandu. Just before Barabise is the confluence of the Bhote Kosi and Sun Kosi rivers. The remaining part to the Nepal border village of Kodari the road runs alongside the Sun Kosi with extremely steep Himalayan mountainsides that are very prone to landslides during and immediately after rains (including the monsoon). Beyond Kodari is the border town of Zhangmu in Tibet.

File:Zangmu frontiere.JPG|Friendship bridge between Zhangmu and Kodari File:NEPAL Route 2.JPG| Arniko Highway in Kodari after the border with China File:NEPAL Phulping Bridge 02.JPG| Araniko Highway: pulping bridge, just after the border with China File:Kodari highway.JPG| Araniko Highway in Kodari (Népal) just after border with China File:NEPAL Last-Resort 001.JPG| Koadri (Népal), last resort bridge on la Bothe-Kosi river Araniko Highway-42-Mittagsrast in Tatopani-2014-gje.jpg|Tatopani spa Araniko Highway-38-Kontrollpunkt-LKW-2014-gje.jpg|Checkpoint File:Dolaighat bridge.JPG| Dolaghbat on Bothé-Kosi river File:6 Lane Araniko Highway as seen from Madhyapur, Thimi.jpg| Araniko Highway as seen from Madhyapur, Thimi

Significance

The Aarniko Rajmarg provides Nepal's overland link with China. However, it is of limited use as an alternative route for transport of goods, as it is cheaper to ship Chinese goods via Kolkata than to truck them through China's Tibet region. This situation is subject to change with major investment in road and rail on the Tibetan side.

Closures

The route was closed by the April 2015 earthquakes, but was re-opened in early August 2015. The route sustained heavy damage because of landslides triggered by the earthquake.

In 2014 the highway was closed after landslides, but re-opened in September 2014. The landslide shut the route to Kathmandu for 46 days until a new alternate route could be built for Rs. 15.5 million. The landslides that closed it the summer of 2014 were called the Sunkoshi landslides, and the section of the highway near the Tibet border is especially prone to landslides.

References

References

1. (September 22, 2021). "Statics of National Highway 2020_21". Department of Roads (Nepal).
2. (June 4, 2024). "Statics of National Highway 2022-23". Department of Roads (Nepal).
3. "AsiaTravel NEPAL COMBINE". Content.yudu.com.
4. Dorje, Gyurme. (1999). "Tibet Handbook: With Bhutan". Footprint Handbooks.
5. (23 April 2013). "China's Nepalese friendship road leads to the heart of India's market".
6. "Arniko Rajmarg to Tibet". Lonely Planet.
7. "Traffic resumes on Araniko Highway".
8. (30 June 2015). "Araniko Highway in Nepal: Landslide problems in the monsoon".
9. "Araniko highway open for traffic".