The Bhutanese Leading the way.
In a landmark achievement for national infrastructure, 203 out of 205 gewogs in Bhutan are now connected by roads, leaving the nation on the face of total rural connectivity.
As per the Dzongkhag Road inventory maintained by the Department of Surface Transport under the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport, the total road length connecting these 203 gewogs is 1,966.12 km
While the vast majority of the country is linked by gewog road, the two specific regions, Lingzhi in Thimphu and Lunana in Gasa, currently stand as the only gewog centers without road access.
Interim solutions are currently in place, for example, Laya gewog is connected via Tatsemakhang (Gasa), and residents of Soe gewog access the network through the Drukgyel–Shana Road (Thimphu).
The Department of Surface Transport is working to bridge these final gaps while simultaneously managing a massive upgrading project under the 13th Five-Year Plan (FYP).
The project scope now specifically targets 132 Dzongkhag Roads covering 1,924.46 km. This follows a strategic decision to exclude roads adjacent to national highways such as those in Mongar, Pemagathsel, Trashiyangtse, Trashigang and Zhemgang as well as sections shorter than 500 meters, roads under 1 km, and roads within the Sarpang.
Improvement works have so far been initiated on 62 of the 132 identified Dzongkhag Roads. In FY 2024–25, works began on 24 roads, with 9 completed within the year, 12 slated for completion in FY 2025–26, and 3 expected by FY 2027–28.
In FY 2025–26, an additional 38 roads were taken up, of which 13 are expected to be completed within the year, 20 in FY 2026–27, and 5 by FY 2027–28.
With 70 Dzongkhag Roads still pending, their improvement within the 13th FYP will depend on the availability of funds.
In addition to road improvement works, bridges along Dzongkhag Roads are being strengthened, and new bridges are being constructed under the same project.
So far, 37 bridges have been identified for re-strengthening, and 3 new bridges are planned for construction.
Furthermore, bridge signage along national highways and Dzongkhag Roads will also be installed as part of the project.
Despite the clear roadmap, the broader improvement goals face a significant financial hurdle.
The approved allocation for the 13th FYP is Nu 4.87 billion (bn). With Nu 3.68 bn already committed, the remaining balance stands at Nu 1.19 bn. However, completing the improvement of 65 pending Dzongkhag Roads requires a total of Nu 6.58 bn, leaving a funding gap of approximately Nu 2.91 bn.
The completion of these 805.345 km of pending roads will depend entirely on securing additional support from the Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) or other development partners.
However, financial landscape shifted recently when a proposal for an additional Nu 1 bn under the GoI PTA Project was not approved.
So, the RGoB has committed to financing 15 roads covering 228.825 km using its own resources. These include essential routes like the Merak DR (35.80 km) in Trashigang and the Nanong DR (30.6 km) in Pemagatshel.
Even with this intervention, 50 roads totaling roughly 578.02 km remains pending.
Post-monsoon damage has also forced a revision of the scope for the Denchukha Dzongkhag Road, where road improvements have been paused until bridge construction is finished.
Similarly, the department prioritized bridge work over a Nu 300 million road improvement for the Ganglakha-Doongna road to ensure immediate safety and access.
