Nagdhunga-Mugling Road Expansion Project Progresses

Kathmandu. The construction work under the Nagdhunga-Mugling Road Expansion Project, specifically the Naubise-Malekhu section, has gained momentum. Out of the total length of 43 kilometers, 25 kilometers have been blacktopped and 2 kilometers have been concreted, completing a total of 27 kilometers of road construction.

According to Keshav Ojha, the project chief of the Nagdhunga-Mugling Road Project (Eastern Section), the overall physical progress of this section has reached 60 percent.

Although the project had set a target of achieving 75 percent physical progress in the current fiscal year, the target was hindered by the scarcity of bitumen in the international market. Ojha stated that supply issues due to Middle East tensions have been resolved with facilitation from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, and work has resumed with renewed speed.

According to him, the physical progress of the Nagdhunga-Naubise section, which falls under the first package, has already reached 88 percent. In the second section, Naubise-Malekhu, out of the 25 kilometers blacktopped so far, 2.5 kilometers are two-lane, while the remaining 22.5 kilometers have been blacktopped to full width.

Project Chief Ojha said, 'We have blacktopped 25 kilometers out of 43, 2 kilometers have been concreted, and we aim to complete this work before the monsoon, depending on favorable weather. The progress of the first package, from Nagdhunga to Naubise, is around 88 percent, while this section is at 60 percent.'

Construction company's Project Manager Gyanendra Ghimire informed that the target is to blacktop an additional 6 kilometers of road within the next few days if the weather permits. According to him, since the bitumen supply has become easier, an additional 3,300 meters have been blacktopped in the Naubise-Malekhu section alone.

Ghimire said, 'We have completed 27 kilometers of work, 2 kilometers have been concreted out of 43 kilometers, and 25 kilometers have been blacktopped. Our goal is to not stop as long as the weather allows. It becomes easier to work with the availability of bitumen and favorable weather; we haven't been able to work from morning to evening due to the weather.'

Currently, the construction company is working with the capacity to blacktop 400 to 500 meters daily. Despite adverse weather and technical difficulties, the project has set a revised target of achieving 65 percent physical progress by the end of this fiscal year. The project has given high priority to making vehicle movement easier by re-blacktopping the old excavated pitch sections before the onset of the monsoon.