ASSESSMENT OF FOUR LANING OF E-W CORRIDOR BETWEEN DARBHANGA & MUZAFFARPUR

Abstract

IDENTIFICATION OF PROBLEM After the four laning of highways under NHDP, the vehicular movement on it has increased tremendously and hence, the number of people on the highway. More people onhighway mean more potential of highway to do some business along it. Although some facilities have been provided on the roadside by the highway authority but still the demand is much higher than the supply. During the four laning of highway, the ROW has been also been increased and hence, now encroachers have more opportunity and more area to make the encroachment possible along the roadsides. To guide the construction of highway, the Planning Commission of India and Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, separately framed the manual for the specification and standards for four laning of highway. But during the four laning, some of the important aspects of road design and highway facilities have been neglected on the ground of economy. So, this dissertation aims to identify the demand which has been created by four laning and the supply of facilities which has been provided by comparing the elements of road design and highway facilities with those given in the manual by the ministry. The objectives of the dissertations are- To study the various elements of road design and highway facilities provided while four laning and compare it with those given in manual. • To workout plan proposals for the possible modification in elements of road design. • To determine the various deciding factors for the location of highway facilities. • To workout policy level planning proposals to enhance the use of highway facilities. STUDY AREA E-W Corridor between Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur has been taken as the study area. The starting point of the study area is the junction of NH57 with NH105 in Darbhanga and the ending point is the chainage 0.00 km of NH57 i.e. Chandani. Chock junction in Muzaffarpur, from where onwards NH28 continues as E-W Corridor. This 63 km of new widened highway has increased the connectivity between the town of Darbhanga and Muzaffarpur significantly, reducing the travel time to half. The highway has been constructed on EPC (Engineering, Procurement and Construction) model which is fully funded by NHAI. M.U.R.P. DISSERTATION 201 1-12 PAGE XIX ASSESSMENT OF FOUR LANING OF E-W CORRIDOR DATA COLLECTION To collect the data related to the highway, traffic surveys were conducted by the author at various places in the different hours of day and that too seperatly for weekdays and weekends. A traveller's survey was conducted to know about the use pattern of highways facilities and what factors attract travellers to visit a particular facility. And a house-hold survey was also conducted for the residents of nearby settlements to know about the use of highway facilities by the rural population and their movement pattern on highway for basic physical and social infrastructures. The sample size for traveller's survey was taken as 100 vehicles including pedestrians and the sample size for house-hold survey was 50. Data were also collected from secondary sources like from the detailed project report prepared by NHAI for the project of widening. Monthly progress reports prepared by the supervising agency were also reffered. Some satellite imagery were collected from the internet on different scale to look into the highway before four laving, during it and after complition of the project. And finally some data were also collected from the interviews of professions who were or are a part of widening of highway. ANALYSIS By analyzing the traffic, it is observed that on Sunday PCU is maximum during the evening hours while it is least during the afternoon. The average PCU on Sunday is observed as 21850 while on weekdays it has been observed almost same thought out the day and the average has been observed as 20153 which is less than the average PCU on Sunday. The average PCU in a day is observed as 21001. The value of PCU is almost half the PCU allowed on a four lane highway by ministry. Analyzing the composition of fast moving vehicles and slow moving vehicles in the total PCU on highway, it has been observed that on Sundays the composition of slow moving vehicles decreases on either side of highway, as the day passes by while on weekdays, it decreases on LHS and increases on RHS. The reason has been observed as the visit of nearby city by the rural population for various purposes while they return back by the evening. Similarly analyzing the composition of passenger vehicles and goods vehicles in the total PCU on highway, it has been observed as decreasing on LHS, with the increasing hours of day on Sunday and this implies that goods carrier prefer driving in morning if they are leaving towards north-eastern states of India or towards other parts of the state while on RHS PAGE XX M.U.R.P. DISSERTATION 201 1-1 2 H55ESSMENT OF I-OUR CANING OF E-W CORRIDOR its increasing percentage shows that they try to return back to distributors, residing in state capital, before night. Decreasing percentage of passenger vehicles and increasing, percentage of goods vehicles on either side of the highway on weekdays implies that, as the day passes by, the people movement on highway decreases. It means, among the passenger traffic, mostly, it is the local traffic whose movement on highway is affected by the day and night hours. From the various traffic surveys, traveller's survey, house-hold survey and visual survey, it has been observed that, rural population of nearby settlements along the highway, uses it for various purposes. They uses it for commuting to the nearest city for occupation, education, health care and recreational activities. The city to city traffic has been observed between the two important cities of North Bihar. The daily commuters prefer staying at home rather than relocating to the other town and the daily commuting is more from medium town to smaller town than vice-versa. The reasons are the availbility of better physical and social infrastuctures and the familiy attachment. As far as mode of transport is concern, walking has been observed as the primary modes for rural population while cycles and bikes are used for going to distant places. Two wheelers and three wheelers are mostly used for local movement while four wheelers are used mainly for family activities. Analyzing the distances between the junctions, it is found that the maximum distance between the junctions provided on LHS is 2.91 km whereas on RHS it is 1.89 km. The minimum distance between the junctions is as low as 40 m on LHS and 30 m on RHS. The manual recommends the minimum distance between the junctions to be 3 km whereas none of the junctions are placed at the distance greater than 3 km. The junctions are closely placed near the city area or just outside the city boundary and as one go away from city area it increases. It shows the pattern of settlement growth that, near the city, settlement are growing linearly in the direction of highway and more number of access roads are required from the highway whereas after the influence of city i.e. in the pure rural area, the junctions are placed at comparatively more distances which depicts that settlement are not spreading along the highway but growing in all direction and impact of highway on these settlement are less. It has been further observed that the junctions of brick road to the highway occur frequently whereas junction of cart track to the highway and of pacca road to the highway generally occurs at distance of more than lkm. It can be concluded that the smaller settlements which M.U.R.P. DISSERTATION 2011-12 PAGEXXI ASSESSMENT OF FOUR LANING OF E-W CORRIDOR are connected by the brick road are found more along the highway than the major settlements which are connected by pacca road or the non-habitable area which are connected by cart track. The maximum distances between the bus-stops have been observed as 10.53 km while the minimum as 0.94 km. Three wheelers has been observed stopping anywhere on the highway to take passengers whereas light commercial vehicle mainly stops at junctions and only few stops anywhere. The city to city bus stops only at major juncitons whereas few long distance buses stops sometimes at major junctions otherwise it does not stop. None of the public transport vehicles has been found stopping at bus stops. Due to absence of government owned local transport service on this route, bus stops are not in use for the purpose for which it is constructed. Instead, these are used as playground, as drying place for cow dung cakes, for storing construction material and as truck lay-bye. Distances between truck lay-byes has been analyzed and it has been observed that the distance between two consecutive truck lay-byes are more on RHS than that on LHS. From the survey, the average speed of trucks while going has been observed as slow and while returning back, they drive fast. The reason for driving slow while going is the heavy load on the truck than safely reaching while returning, early reaching is the main reason for driving fast rather than no load. Hence the faster speed while returning is the main reason for more distance between two consecutive truck lay-byes on RHS than on LHS, since the origin point for most of the truck is the capital city and they return back to the same point after delivery of goods to the various parts of state. Truck lay-byes are not used, as of now, by the truck drivers. The reason for not using it, has been observed as the absence of food and absence of public movement, although, the rest-room has been found closed at all the four truck lay-bye. From the survey, it has been observed that, truck drivers usually stop after 2 — 3 hours of continuous driving and the selection of dhaba is based on the availability of entertainments like T.V. etc..........