Construction Gains Momentum on Long-Delayed Bridge Linking Khotang and Udayapur

Khotang. The construction of the motorable bridge over the Sunkoshi River at Dhaplangghat, situated on the border of Khotang and Udayapur districts, has gained pace. The acceleration of the bridge construction, which had been stalled for a long time due to contractor negligence, has raised hopes among the citizens of the southern region.

An agreement was signed with the construction company on Ashadh 30, 2073 BS, for the construction of a 200-meter-long bridge over the Sunkoshi River at Dhaplangghat, connecting Suntale of Barahapokhari Rural Municipality-2 in the district's southern region and Saune of Triyuga Municipality-14 of neighboring Udayapur district. The citizens of the southern region were disheartened as the bridge, under construction for nine years, remained abandoned.

The slab casting work has commenced for the Dhaplangghat motorable concrete bridge, which was inaugurated by then-Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba on Bhadra 31, 2074 BS. Although the agreement for the Dhaplangghat motorable concrete bridge stipulated completion and operation by 2076 BS, the construction work was abandoned due to the negligence of the contractor associated with the construction company.

Local residents stated that the construction of the Dhaplangghat bridge, which was stalled due to contractor negligence, has now intensified following continuous monitoring by Bhupendra Rai, a member of the Khotang Provincial Assembly (2) and former Minister for Physical Infrastructure Development and Health in the Koshi Provincial Government. After the lead party, Swachhanda Construction Company, was blacklisted and its deposit forfeited due to the abandonment of the bridge project—built at a cost of Rs 21.65 crore by Swachhanda-Rasuwa-Pappu JV under the federal government—Rasuwa Construction Pvt. Ltd., involved in the joint venture, has taken over the construction work.

Former Minister Rai stated that he succeeded in restarting the bridge construction work amidst various difficulties. "The Dhaplangghat bridge will have five slabs. One has just been cast. The contractor company has committed to completing at least three more slabs this year," he said. "Once the Dhaplangghat bridge comes into operation, the journey towards Khotang's prosperity will begin. Elected representatives need to pay attention to this," he added.

According to the latest extended deadline, the bridge construction must be completed by Jestha 19, 2084 BS. The construction company stated that work is underway to allow vehicular traffic across Dhaplangghat by Chaitra 2083 BS. According to Engineer Navin Sah of the Road Department Bridge Sector Dharan, the construction of the bridge, which is 43 percent complete, initially started using the well foundation technique at Dhaplangghat. Since that was not feasible, the design was changed last year, and construction using the pile foundation technique has begun. Work is underway to dry the water for slab casting. If the water can be dried quickly, two more slabs can be cast this year. Six pillars need to be constructed for the bridge, but only four have been completed. However, one constructed pillar was bent by last year's flood and needs reconstruction, meaning three more pillars are yet to be built.

For years, transportation has been operating on temporary dirt roads constructed on both the Khotang and Udayapur sides of Dhaplangghat. However, due to the lack of a concrete bridge over the Sunkoshi, large vehicles cannot cross, according to local residents who mentioned that motorcycles cross using a suspension bridge.

Salikram Banjara, Chief of Barahapokhari Rural Municipality, stated that the lack of a bridge at Dhaplangghat makes transporting goods brought from outside expensive and difficult to export local products. "We are forced to endure blockades because the Dhaplangghat bridge is not built. Recently, as the bridge construction work has gained momentum, it has brought some hope; continuous monitoring is necessary. The concerned bodies must pay attention to this," he said.

It is hoped that the lifestyle of residents in Barahapokhari, Jantekhunga, and Khotekhang Rural Municipalities of Khotang, and some areas of Bhojpur, will change once the bridge is built at Dhaplangghat. Work has also begun to install a temporary Bailey bridge to operate traffic until the motorable concrete bridge construction at Dhaplangghat is completed.