Construction of State-of-the-Art Seti Bridge in Pokhara Reaches 57% Completion Amidst Delays

Kaski. The construction of the state-of-the-art Seti Bridge in Pokhara, Kaski, has currently reached 57% completion. This bridge, being built under the Mugling-Pokhara Road Expansion Project, is Nepal's first model bridge utilizing the 'Extra-Dosed Cable Stayed' technology.

 According to Chudraj Dhakal, Project Director at the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the design of this bridge is similar to the structure of the Karnali Bridge located in Chisapani, Kailali.

 However, while the Karnali Bridge has only one tower in the middle, this bridge has two towers. To ensure flight safety for the Pokhara International Airport (due to height restrictions), the height of the bridge towers has been limited to only 12 meters. 

Normally, towers for such bridges are 20 to 30 meters high, but the 'Extra-Dosed' technology was adopted to reduce the height. The project, being constructed at a total cost of NPR 1.07 billion including VAT, involves building two separate bridges, each 190 meters long, on the right and left sides (upstream and downstream) of the existing old bridge. 

Since the girder alone cannot bear the load, cables have been installed from above. Eleven cables will be connected to each girder. The bridge will feature a 3-meter wide footpath on one side, and a 'utility duct' has also been arranged to manage water supply and electricity authority wires. 

According to Krishna Kunwar, Chief of the Mugling-Pokhara Road Project (Western Section), the tower construction on both sides of the bridge is now complete. The goal is to complete the construction of the downstream (south side) bridge within the next two months. However, the construction of the upstream (north side) bridge is being delayed due to some social issues and compensation disputes. 

There are still unresolved discussions with locals regarding the demolition of some structures and the provision of compensation at the bridge construction site. Project Chief Kunwar suspected that some misinformation had reached the locals and stated that continuous discussions are being held with them from the ministerial level down to the project level. He said, 'The decision regarding compensation has been made. We are arranging for a technical integrity check from the Department of Building to assess the condition of the remaining structures after partially demolishing some houses. 

'After the work on the south side is finished, we will focus on the north side; we are confident that an understanding will be reached with the locals.' The project has announced that the construction work, which was temporarily affected by the elections, will now regain momentum. 

 Although the agreement stipulates that construction must be completed by B.S. 2083 Jestha 21, the project will need to exert extra effort to complete the work on time due to challenges such as compensation disputes. —News Agency Nepal