Four Bridges on Mugling-Malekhu Road Section to Open in June

Chitwan. Work has been done to bring four bridges on the Mugling-Malekhu road section of the Prithvi Highway into operation in the coming June. The general work of those bridges has been completed. According to Sachindra Mishra, Information Officer at the Western Section Office of the Nagdhunga-Mugling Road Project, the bridges over Khahare Khola, Chiraundi Khola, Gomati Khola, and Hugdi Khola are planned to be operational by June. He said that some of these bridges still have the connecting road to the highway to be built. Minor works like plastering, painting, and traffic safety of the bridges are remaining.

He said, "Overall, more than 90 percent of the work has been done. We are preparing to operate the bridges by June." The bridges over Hugdi and Charaundi Khola in the same section are under construction. He stated that 30 percent of the work on Hugdi and 50 percent on Charaundi has been completed. The work on the foundation and pillars of these bridges is underway. Preparations are being made to resume the blacktopping work, which was halted due to a shortage of asphalt, on this road section.

According to Mishra, the construction company has said that asphalt will arrive in a day or two, and blacktopping can be done. He informed that preparations are being made to lay the base and blacktop on approximately two kilometers of road where the sub-base has already been laid. He added that more areas can be prepared for blacktopping as this work progresses.

Blacktopping work was stopped here after the price of asphalt increased, causing it to stop coming. Work such as drain construction and railing is still ongoing, he informed. The road construction work has been 43 percent completed. This section covers 38.86 kilometers of road. In this section, 2.2 km will be six-lane, which falls in the Malekhu, Benighat, and Muglin sections. Seven-point-two kilometers of the road will be four-lane. The four-lane section will be in the Ramailo Danda, Kurintar, Phisling, Chumlimg, Majhimtar, Charaundi, and Bishaltar areas. A three-lane 'climbing' lane will be built on the uphill-downhill sections. The 'climbing' lane will be 2.3 km long, and the remaining road will be two-lane.

The construction company has taken the contract for the upgrading of this section for Rs 4.8059 billion. Works such as constructing drains, building structures for landslide prevention, cutting hillsides, constructing walls, road safety, and bridge construction, along with blacktopping, are remaining in various areas of the road. This road is being built with the support of the World Bank. This section serves as the main gateway for entering and exiting Kathmandu.

The construction deadline, which ended on December 28, was extended by 183 days. Further extension is in process.