Chitwan. The upgrading of the Muglin-Malekhu road has gained momentum. The road upgrading work had slowed down after June.

The work has been intensified after the festivals are over, except for rain. Engineer of the Nagdhunga-Muglin road project, Bijaya Darai, an engineer on the western part of the road project, said construction works of the Muglin-Malekhu road section are being expedited. Work on the access road to the bridge has been started. The four bridges are being constructed as access roads. The work of installing barriers on the bridge and other parts has started and the work of drains has also started.

According to him, preparation has been made to start the blacktopping work in two ÷three days. Of the 38.86 kilometres stretch, eight kilometres has already been blacktopped. Final preparations have been made for blacktopping an additional five kilometers of the road.

According to Darai, the blacktopping is going to be done in the final preparations. Along with this, preparatory work will be done for blacktopping in other places. Of the other two bridges along the road, one of the bridges over the Charaudikhola has been laid. On the other hand, both the foundations of the bridge over the Hugdi River have been completed.

According to Darai, 35 percent of road upgradation has been completed so far. The 2.2km six-lane section will be constructed in Malekhu, Benighat and Muglin. The 7.2km road will be four-lane. Stating that the four-lane road would be constructed in the areas of Kurintar, Fisling, Chumling, Majhimtar, Charaudi and Bishaltar, Darai said that a three-lane climbing route would be constructed in the uphill section. According to him, the climbing route will be 2.3 kilometers long while the rest of the road will be of two lanes.

The road was awarded on December 29, 2022 with a target to complete it in three years. The Muglin-Nagdhunga section of the Prithvi Highway has been divided into three phases. This falls under the third phase. The deadline is set to expire on December 15. Darai said that the process to extend the deadline has started. He said that the construction company will get an extension of the deadline for a few months due to design modifications and other factors.

The Sharma-ZICG was awarded the contract for the upgrading of the section at a cost of Rs 4.80 billion. Works like construction of drains, construction of infrastructures to prevent landslides, repair wall and road safety remain to be done in different areas of the road.

The road is being constructed with the assistance of the World Bank. This section is the main entry and exit point of Kathmandu. According to the construction company, the construction has been delayed due to high pressure of vehicles on the road and difficulty in getting raw materials.