By Shaligram Nepal
Chitwan, Mar. 17: With the successful completion of the road expansion project along the Muglin-Narayangadh section of the highway, construction of 15 new bridges along the same stretch of the section has now gained momentum.
With the road widened a couple of years ago, moving to and from the Mugling-Narayangadh stretch has become smooth sailing for the most part, except when it comes to the bridges.
The poor condition of the bridges dotting the highway has been a major hurdle in controlling traffic congestion. Bearing this in mind, the Mugling-Narayangadh Road Expansion Project has started the upgradation and reconstruction of the bridges, which are to conclude in two phases.
“In the first phase of the project, seven bridges will connect the roads from Mugling to Simaltal while the remaining eight bridges will be built along the Simaltal-Jugedi section,” informed Sabina Ranabhat, Information Officer of the Project.
The design of all the eight bridges under the second phase has already been approved, out of which construction of six bridges is currently underway. Talking about the first phase, however, Information Officer Ranabhat said that there were still be a substantial number of designs yet to be approved.
“The company that obtains the tender for building the infrastructures will have to prepare the design and await approval from the Department of Roads,” she explained. The total cost for the first phase of the project is estimated to be around Rs. 680 million while the second phase is said to be Rs. 590 million. Anak Construction Company is responsible for the construction of all the 15 bridges in the two phases. The said company entered the contract agreement on March 23, 2020.
“Shortly after the agreement, the nation went into lockdown and the entire building project came to a grinding halt. We couldn’t even begin surveying the sites until June 2020,” added Ranabhat. However, in the last few months the work has gained pace and construction has been moving in full swing.
The width of the old bridges on the Narayangadh-Mugling road is no more than six to seven metres. However, the updated bridges, which are now under construction, will be nine to 11 metres wide.