Upgrading of Dhulikhel-Khawa Road Section on Arniko Highway Intensifies After New Contract

KAVREPALANCHOWK. The upgrading work on the Dhulikhel-Khawa road section under the Arniko Highway in Kavrepalanchok has been intensified. After the expansion work, which was halted for a long time due to the negligence of the contractor, a new construction company was contracted last Kartik, leading to a renewed push for the upgrading work.

According to the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, the contract was signed with C-N-A-One Kali JV for Rs 31.56 crore (excluding VAT) to complete the work within 14 months. Senior Divisional Engineer Suman Yogesh, the office chief, informed that according to the agreement, the blacktopping on the wider section will be completed by the upcoming Chaitra, and the remaining work will be completed gradually within the stipulated time.

He stated that the expansion work has been accelerated through cutting work at various locations. "Currently, work on small structures and retaining walls is underway with the goal of completing the blacktopping by next Chaitra," Yogesh said.

He explained that surface work on the road was halted due to cold weather, and the plan is to complete the blacktopping by Chaitra as soon as the cold subsides. After the blacktopping is finished, the road's slope will be maintained, and other minor tasks will be completed. The road section is set to be seven meters wide. New technology will be employed to manage landslides on the road.

Meanwhile, due to delays in construction, travel on the highway has been arduous for three years. The office re-tendered the project last Shrawan, five months after canceling the previous contract. Yogesh expressed optimism that the new construction company will complete the four-kilometer road section on time.

The office had canceled the contract with Gauri-Parbati Construction Service, citing failure to complete the road section from the district headquarters Dhulikhel to Khawa within the specified time.

The office canceled the contract with Gauri-Parbati Construction Service, which had taken up the upgrading responsibility on Falgun 15 last year, 11 months after the contract deadline expired. Gauri-Parbati had secured the contract for Rs 20 crore 19 lakh 46 thousand 501 to complete the road expansion within 22 months, by Chaitra 19, 2080 BS, starting from Jestha 20, 2079 BS.

Previously, only cutting work from Dhulikhel Bus Park to the Zipline, and some work on drains and drain walls in a few places, had been completed. Only the road below the Zipline towards Khawa had been dismantled, and cutting work remained for one kilometer.

Due to the contractor's procrastination, less than 25 percent of the construction work was completed even 11 months after the deadline expired. As this highway serves as a main route to Tatopani, Nepal's northern border with China via the Arniko Highway, and to neighboring districts like Dolakha and Ramechhap, travelers have been forced to endure dust, mud, traffic jams, and the risk of accidents due to the delay in its completion.

The office plans to strengthen the road to accommodate the load capacity of freight vehicles using it by applying a 20 cm thick cement-mixed base layer over the gravel for the first time in Nepal, followed by two phases of blacktopping using DBM and Asphalt. Hundreds of passengers have been injured in accidents on the road that was dismantled for reconstruction because the construction work was not completed on time.