Construction Progresses on New Four-Lane Bridge Over Madi River in Damauli

Damouli. Construction is in full swing on the four-lane bridge being built in Damauli Bazaar, part of the Mugling-Pokhara road section. The Mugling Pokhara Road Project (Eastern Section) has reported 77 percent progress on the bridge being constructed over the Madi River in Byas Municipality-4 and 5.

Vishnu Prasad Pandey, Engineer and Information Officer for the section, informed that bridge construction is proceeding at a rapid pace. He stated that the foundation work on both sides has been completed, and the construction of the arch design is currently underway.

The work on the bridge, which was initially scheduled for completion within three years, had its contract deadline expire on Bhadra 21 last year, and the deadline has now been extended until Ashar 19 next year.

According to Pandey, the contract with Annuk JSTI JV was signed for the bridge construction on Shrawan 26, 2079 BS. Pandey said, "The deadline for bridge construction was extended after the initial one expired. A commitment has been made to complete the work within the extended deadline." Pandey added that the goal is to complete the bridge construction within the current fiscal year.

The 315-meter-long bridge will have six spans. The two 'prestressed box girder' spans on both sides of the bridge have already been completed. He mentioned that the work from the foundation to the superstructure is finished. He added, "The two middle spans are concrete nature arch bridges. Work is ongoing on those." Pandey stated that this bridge, being built at a cost of NPR 1.21 billion including VAT, will be Nepal's first bridge with a single monolithic structure, measuring 23 meters in width.

Dinesh Kumar Shrestha, Site Manager for the construction company Annuk JSTI JV, informed that the bridge construction will be completed ahead of the scheduled date. According to him, although the deadline is until Ashar 19, the target is to finish the work even before that. Currently, 150 workers are deployed daily for the bridge construction.

The bridge will be four-laned. The existing two-lane bridge over the river is 370 meters long. The new bridge is being constructed approximately 50 meters away from the existing one.