2.3 Bhutan Road Network
Overview
The Department of Roads (DoR), under Ministry of Works and Human Settlement is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the road network in the country. As Bhutan is a landlocked country, road transport is the dominant mode of transportation for passengers and freight within the country and to the neighbouring states (Assam and West Bengal) of India. At present, Bhutan has a total of 12,000 km of motorable roads. The Border Roads Organization (BRO) under project DANTAK, a subdivision of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers, has been operating in Bhutan since May 1961. Since then Project DANTAK has been responsible for the construction and maintenance of over 680 km of roads and bridges, Paro Airport and the airfield at Yangphula, heliports and other infrastructure. While these serve India's strategic defence needs, they are also an obvious economic benefit for the people of Bhutan
Out of the total road network of around 12,000 km, which are composed of the 2,000 km of primary national highways, 650 km of secondary national highways, 350 km of Thromde (a third-level administrative division in Bhutan similar to a municipality under a Mayor) roads and remaining as farm, feeder and access roads. Some 2,500 km of roads are under DoR, about 680 km under Project Dantak, and the balance of remaining roads are under municipal (Thromde), Dzongkhag (national administration districts) and the Ministry of Agriculture and Forest (MoAF).
The Department of Roads (DoR) carries out road routine maintenance works through using national workforce dedicated for the purpose. The approach adopted for the execution of routine maintenance is input based where a fixed number of workforces are dedicated for the maintenance of a given section of the road using a maintenance work norm of 1 workforce per 1 km for national highway, 1 workforce per 1.5 km for district road and 1 workforce per 2 km for feeder road.
Due to its mountainous terrain and fragile topography, roads in Bhutan often get blocked by landslides and mud slides especially during the monsoon season that spans from May to August. Most of the roads are narrow, except some primary highways that are double lane, and large vehicles and trailers cannot pass through. Sea containers are offloaded at the border town, Phuentsholing and cargo transhipped into smaller trucks for further transportation to the interior of the country.
Except for Thimphu-Phuentsholing, Paro-Thimphu and Thimphu-Wangduephodrang primary national highways, all other roads are only single lane. DoR with assistance from the Government of India and other donors is presently expanding the east–west and Samdrupjongkhar-Trashigang highways. Bypasses are also being constructed at a number of places to shorten the distance of highways. Notable bypasses include:
a) Damchu-Chukha bypass which will reduce the distance between Thimphu and Phuentsholing by around 19 km.
b) Chumey-Ura bypass
c) Wangdigang-Tingtibi bypass.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link:
4.1 Bhutan Government Contact List
Distance Matrix
Distances from Capital City to Major Towns (km) |
||||||||
Thimphu |
Phuentsholing |
Paro |
Punakha |
Mongar |
Trashigang |
Gelephu |
Samdrup Jongkhar |
|
Thimphu |
172 |
55 |
72 |
450 |
551 |
256 |
731 (520*) |
|
Phuentsholing |
172 |
165 |
234 |
622 |
713 |
195* |
348* |
|
Paro |
55 |
165 |
117 |
495 |
601 |
306 |
513* |
|
Punakha |
72 |
234 |
117 |
412 |
503 |
208 |
582* |
|
Mongar |
450 |
622 |
495 |
412 |
91 |
505 (504*) |
271 |
|
Trashigang |
551 |
713 |
601 |
503 |
91 |
596 (413*) |
180 |
|
Gelephu |
256 |
195* |
306 |
208 |
505 (504*) |
596 (413*) |
233* |
|
Samdrup Jongkhar |
731 |
348* |
513* |
582* |
271 |
180 |
233* |
* Route through Indian road.
Travel Time from Capital City to Major Towns (hours or days) |
||||||||
Thimphu |
Phuentsholing |
Paro |
Punakha |
Mongar |
Trashigang |
Gelephu |
Samdrup Jongkhar |
|
Thimphu |
5 hr |
1 hr |
2 hr |
1.5 days |
2 days |
8 hr |
3 days |
|
Phuentsholing |
5 hr |
6 hr |
8 hr |
2 days |
3 days |
6 hr |
10 hr |
|
Paro |
1 hr |
6 hr |
3 hr |
1.5 days |
2 days |
7 hr |
3 days |
|
Punakha |
2 hr |
8 hr |
3 hr |
1.5 days |
2 days |
6 hr |
3 days |
|
Mongar |
1.5 days |
2 days |
1.5 days |
1.5 day |
4 hr |
2 days |
1 day |
|
Trashigang |
2 days |
3 days |
2 days |
2 days |
4 hr |
2 days |
7 hrs |
|
Gelephu |
8 hr |
6 hr |
7 hr |
6 hr |
2 days |
2 days |
1 day |
|
Samdrup Jongkhar |
3 days |
1 day |
3 days |
3 days |
1 day |
7 hr |
1 day |
Road Security
Generally, there are no security threats related to roads within Bhutan; however roads that pass through Indian borders, especially through the Indian states of Assam and West Bengal can sometimes pose security threats due to demonstrations and strikes. Between 2003-2008, the Government of India used to provide military escort to all Bhutanese vehicles plying these roads due to security threats from ULFA and BODO militants. These escorts were in use up to around 2013, though their use has been reduced or stopped due to the reduction of the threat.
The Royal Government of Bhutan has accorded high priority to safety, reliability and efficiency of the road transport system; the existing highways are being widened to allow two vehicles (at least one heavy and one light) to cross each other, safety measures such as crash barriers and reflectors are being installed along accident prone sections of various highways, and sections of existing highways are being realigned to shorten the travel distance and also to avoid landslide prone areas. Existing highway bridges are also being strengthened and replaced with permanent steel or reinforced concrete bridges. DoR has placed machines at strategic locations to clear the road in case of blocks due to landslides and mudslides.
However, general road conditions beyond national highways are poor, and emergency services generally are not available. Because of the mountainous terrain, roads tend to have steep drop-offs and blind curves.
Weighbridges and Axle Load Limits
Department of Revenue and Customs, under the Ministry of Finance operates weighbridges at the border towns. Weighbridges are located at Phuentsholing, Gelephu, Samdrup Jongkhar and Gomtu. There are no privately owned weighbridges in the country. All trucks carrying goods to Bhutan have to be checked at these weighbridges and get at report. These reports are checked and analysed by the Road Safety and Transport Authority (RSTA). Load limits for various kinds of trucks are mentioned below.
Axle Load Limits |
LCA Country (BHUTAN) |
Transit Country #1 (INDIA) |
Truck with 2 Axles |
10 mt |
10 mt |
Truck with 3 Axles |
15 mt |
NA |
Truck with 4 Axles |
18 mt |
NA |
Semi-trailer with 3 Axles |
NA |
NA |
Semi-trailer with 4 Axles |
NA |
NA |
Semi-trailer with 5 Axles |
NA |
NA |
Semi-trailer with 6 Axles |
||
Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 4 Axles |
||
Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 5 Axles |
||
Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 6 Axles |
||
Truck & Drawbar Trailer with 7 Axles |
Road Class and Surface Conditions
INSERT RELEVANT maps (as needed) from the WFP GIS Team.
2.3.1. Bhutan Border Crossing of Gelephu
Overview
Gelephu is located on the border between Bhutan and India. There is a regional airport 5 km west of Gelephu which is described elsewhere in this LCA. While Gelephu is a major community with a mayor (Thrompon), the location is not an ideal entry or exit point between Bhutan and India because of the very poor condition of the road between the border and Highway 31 in India.
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
Name of Border Crossing |
NA |
Province or District |
Sarpang |
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Santabari in India on Highway 31 About 43 km |
Latitude |
26°52′14″N |
Longitude |
90°29′08″E |
Managing Authority / Agency |
Customs and Immigration |
Contact Person |
NA |
Travel Times |
|
Nearest International Airport |
Paro 242.4 km via Wangdue - Tsirang Highway Truck Travel Time: 9 hours Car Travel time: 7 hours |
Nearest Port |
Kolkata (India) Distance 830 km Truck Travel Time: 19 hours |
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
NA |
Other Information
|
NA |
Hours of Operation |
|
Mondays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Tuesdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Wednesdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Thursdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Fridays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Saturdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Sundays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
National Holidays
|
All government departments are closed for national holidays |
Seasonal Constraints |
During the monsoon season, the crossing area is subject to frequent flooding as in low lying area on the border with a large river flowing through to India |
Daily Capacity
This is a busy border crossing with small commercial shops on either side of the border. Asphalt surface on Bhutan side and a mixture of asphalt and unsealed on the Indian side of the border. Maximum two lanes and no information on traffic flow except to say quite slow. Cars and trucks not provided with separate lanes
Customs Clearance
No details for private commerce however food aid items can cross the border with customs clearance on production of the usual documentation.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following links:
2.3.2 Bhutan Border Crossing of Samdrup Jongkhar
Overview
This is a busy border town between Bhutan and India. The town is located at the south-eastern part of Bhutan and borders the Indian state of Assam. it is one of the most importanttrading towns for the eastern districts of Bhutan. There is a very good asphalt road between the border and Rangia on Indian National Highway 31.
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Not applicable |
Province or District |
Samdrup Jongkhar |
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Trashigang 180km by road |
Latitude |
26°48′02″N |
Longitude |
91°30′18″E |
Managing Authority / Agency |
Customs and Immigration |
Contact Person |
Not applicable |
Travel Times |
|
Nearest International Airport |
Guwahati in Asam, India - 98 km by road Truck Travel Time: 3-4 hours Car Travel time: 2.5 hours Paro International Airport 513 km by road Truck Travel Time: 12 hours Car Travel time: 10 to 11 hours |
Nearest Port |
Kolkata (India) Distance 967 km via NH 31 Truck Travel Time: 21 Hours Car Travel time: 19 hours |
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Samdrup Jongkhar is a significant market town and the principal commercial location in south eastern Bhutan. There is a large farmers’ auction for selling vegetables into the Indian market. The nearest large wholesale market is Guwahati, capital of the Indian state of Assam, some 160 km from the border or 3-4 hours driving time. |
Other Information
|
No weighbridges or major fuel depots. Many individual petrol stations |
Hours of Operation |
|
Mondays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Tuesdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Wednesdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Thursdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Fridays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Saturdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Sundays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
National Holidays
|
All government departments are closed during national holidays |
Seasonal Constraints |
During Monsoon season, subject to frequent flooding as situated in a low lying area |
Daily Capacity
This is a busy border crossing with small commercial shops on either side of the border. Asphalt surface on Bhutan side and a very good asphalt road to the Indian town of Rangia (Assam state) situated on NH 31 – the distance is about 55 km.
NH 31 is mainly a 4 lane highway and it is the road of preference to travel between the major southern towns of Bhutan namely, Samdrup Jongkhar in the east, Gelephu in the centre and Phuentsholing in the east.
In rating the capacity to handle trucks and a good road surface, Samdrup Jongkhar rates second to Phuentsholing and ahead of Gelephu.
Customs Clearance
No details for private commerce however food aid items can cross the border with customs clearance on production of the usual documentation.
For more information on government contact details, please see the following links:
2.3.3 Bhutan Border Crossing of Phuentsholing
Overview
Phuntsholing is a border town in southern Bhutan in Chukha District. Phuentsholing adjoins the Indian town of Jaigon, and cross-border trade has resulted in a thriving local economy.
Whereas Thimphu is the political capital of Bhutan, Phuentsholing is certainly the commercial capital where the offices and depots of the major oil wholesalers, major merchants and major transporters are located.
South of the border, there is an excellent 2 lane asphalt road (which is being widened to 4 lanes) to Hasimara on NH 31 – a distance of about 17 km. Hasimara is a major commercial town on the highway with train service east and west. It is also home to a military airport of the Indian Airforce.
Plans to join the rail link up to the border with Bhutan have been under discussions for many years but are yet to be materialized due to extensive problems arising from the need to acquire the necessary land for building the railway tracks. Any progress in this regard should not be expected in the near future.
North of Phuentsholing, the national highway maintained by Dantak joins both Paro and Thimphu.
Border Crossing Location and Contact |
|
Name of Border Crossing |
Bhutan: Phuentsholing |
Province or District |
Chukha |
Nearest Town or City with Distance from Border Crossing |
Paro Distance 165 km Thimphu Distance 172 km |
Latitude |
26°51'37.05"N |
Longitude |
89°23'37.65"E |
Managing Authority / Agency |
Customs and Immigration |
Contact Person |
NA |
Travel Times |
|
Nearest International Airport |
Paro (Bhutan); Bagdora (India) Distance 165 km (Paro) ; 158 km (Bagdora) Truck Travel Time: 4 – 6 hours (Paro); 3-4 hours (Bagdora) Car Travel time: 4 hours (Paro); 2.5-3 hours (Bagdora) |
Nearest Port |
Kolkota Distance 707 km via NH 12 Truck Travel Time: 15 – 20 hours Car Travel time: 14 hours |
Nearest location with functioning wholesale markets, or with significant manufacturing or production capacity |
Name: Siliguru (West Bengal, India) Distance in km: 155 km Truck Travel Time: 5-6 hr Car Travel time: 3-4 hr |
Other Information
|
Not applicable, route not traversed |
Hours of Operation |
|
Mondays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Tuesdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Wednesdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Thursdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Fridays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Saturdays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
Sundays |
0900 – 1700 Summer 0900 – 1600 Winter |
National Holidays
|
All government departments closed on national holidays. Private companies remain open. |
Seasonal Constraints |
The river Ammo which flows from the district of Haa is subject to flooding in the estuary which adjoins Phuentsholing. Major works are being carried out to divert the river to the west of Phuentsholing and reclaim land for further expansion. |
Daily Capacity
This border crossing is the major commercial hub and entry / exit point between Bhutan and India. The actual border crossing is quite narrow and can result in hold ups for both trucks and cars. Dry port facilities in Phuentsholing are limited at present but major expansion is in the planning to accommodate a major dry port where larger quantities of containers can be stripped and cleared by customs. There is a functional weighbridge in the centre of the town.
Customs Clearance
There is a major customs office in Phuentsholing and the management is acutely aware that Phuentsholing is the principal land entry and exit point for Bhutan.
Facilities are being improved on a regular basis
For more information on government contact details, please see the following link: