Kathmandu, Feb. 23: Soon no heavy vehicles will be spotted within Ring road parked haphazardly as a parking facility with a capacity of 600 trucks and buses at Kalanki, Tin-Thana is nearing completion. This heavy vehicles parking is a government project granted to private sector two years ago following a bidding process as part of the HMG’s policy to involve private sector in building and operating development infrastructure.

This parking facility being built by Kathmandu Parking Private Ltd with financing from Nepal Bank Ltd is to begin initial service in coming four weeks. However, the construction of second phase of the parking facility will be resumed after the rainy season is over.

It is the first phase of a plan of the Ministry of Roads based on a JICA study to build heavy vehicles parking at three different sites along the Ring Road. There shall be no parking for heavy vehicles along the Ring road and as far as Mugling along the highway according to the study.

A JICA study made a decade ago had identified three strategic locations for parking of heavy vehicles, which are ‘indispensable’ for traffic situation management in future in the capital valley. Such Parking bus terminals will also be instrumental in reducing pollution level considerably in the city area.

“The heavy vehicles parked along the bunds of the ring road damage the road while posing a traffic accident hazard as well, said Dr Ramanad Prasad Singh, Director of the Kathmandu Parking Pvt Ltd.

The Kalanki bus park to be completed with a cost of 18 crores for the first phase, will need another 18 crores for further expansion plans. Built on a sloping land at split levels, the first phase will include a semi-circular three-storeyed pavilion that will house the bus terminal on the ground floor, passenger facilities like telephones, offices and restaurants on the other floors.

The other building structures will include a circular warehouse for perishable goods and linear warehouses spread in other areas will serve as go-downs for items like chemicals, consumer goods and other hardware.

All traffic moving in the bus-park will be one way to avoid conflict points and to prevent extra traffic in the terminal, entry of private vehicles will be restricted to the taxi stand only. All intra-terminal commuters will have to subscribe to the electric bus running inside the terminal with different routes and designated stops.

“A minimum of 65 ropanis of land is required by HMG to build such a parking facility but we have plans to expand it to 100 ropanis later, said Krishna Wasthi, one of the directors of the company.

The Kalanki bus park under construction is divided into two parts, the upper level shall be used for alighting form both inter and intra city buses as well as boarding of the intra city buses. Boarding for inter city buses will take place at the lower level as separate bay will be marked out depending upon the destination of the bus.

The Parking facility will also have a filling station with multiple booths, maintenance garage and an emergency access as well.

According to a study, 900 night buses leave the valley everyday. As a result, about 600 buses are parked at different places haphazardly at the ring road. The long route buses and trucks stay in the valley for six hours in average.

“Kalanki bus park will have a capacity of 600 buses and trucks at a time and the parking is designed and will be managed in such a way that 400 buses with passengers will be able to leave the Parking in three hours, according to Dr Singh.

Currently buses have to pay a registration fee of Rs. 3500 and even then buses have to park randomly at odd places along the ring road. “The situation will be very different now as we can accommodate these vehicles and will charge reasonable fees based on staying hours. Besides the short head-way time made possible by our design will help manage the time more efficiently,” said Dr Singh.

With a built-in weighing bridge at the entrance and ample ware house facility, lodging and recreational facility for the crew and the superior technical design ensure that the project is going to be a highly feasible one. According to an understanding between the govt and the company, additional bus parks are to be built only after the capacity of the Kalanki Bus Park is exhausted.