Road Transportation is one of the main transportations means of Nepal. Rural roads are the main life line for the most of Nepalese people in rural area of Nepal so that it is intended to provide minimum level of safety and comfort, economic design and consistency of alignment. This research studies the geometric features of existing rural road compared to minimum design standards according to Nepal Rural Road Standard (NRRS) 2014. The objective of this study is to compare the geometric features of existing rural roads with the minimum design criteria specified in the Nepal Rural Road Standard 2014. Extensive field observations were conducted to collect data on rural road geometry. Through the examination of these aspects, the study aims to provide insights into the compliance of rural roads with the specified design criteria and assess road users' perception of safety in relation to road geometry. In this study, important geometrical elements were directly measured in the field of study road. The critical sections that were examined and compared to the standards. The road user's perceptions on road geometry and safety were collected by questionnaire survey prepared based on Likert's scale. The findings from the study are examined against the background of what has been constructed. Based on the findings, 99.1% of respondents have travelled through rural roads whereas among them 71.95% feel unsafe. Regular maintenance of existing rural road for betters all weather condition got highest rank with RII value 0.89. Furthermore, the field observation and design have shown that existing rural road have narrow width, steep grades, unmanaged water, low provision of safety and not proper soil stabilization measures adopted. For better and longer life of rural road water management plays the vital role with RII value 0.93. Sufficient budget allocation, strong supervision and monitoring, less political influence, proper design before construction gives the sustainable and all weather rural roads. The recommendation from the study is that the rural road construction should be done with a lot of care as it connects rural areas to provide them access to basic services like education, health, connection to nearby market. During design with minimum standards field verification should be done so that major problems can be addressed in time and further damages after construction can be controlled. During construction of rural roads minimum vii care should be taken so that further wastage of budget to make in non-engineering rural roads. Sufficient safety measures such as safety barriers, gabion parapet walls, guard rails, crash Barriers, warning and speed reduction signs should be provided. Upgrading of deficient geometrical parameters should be started as soon as possible. The sight distance and setback distances should be improved to recommended standards either by cutting the hills or constructing retaining walls. This study offers valuable insights into the perceptions and concerns of rural road users, highlighting areas for improvement in terms of maintenance and specific geometric features. Additionally, it suggests reevaluating the design considerations for extra widening and shoulder width to ensure they align with the specific requirements of the rural roads.

Keywords

Existing Conditions, Geometric Features, Nepal Rural Road Standards, Rural Roads, Road Geometry, Perception of Users.

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