Nawalparasi. The construction of 33 bridges in the eastern section of the Narayangadh-Butwal road expansion project has been completed.

According to the project’s Information Officer Shiva Khanal, construction of 33 bridges along Nawalparasi (east of Bardaghat Susta) has been completed.

Information Officer Khanal said that 34 bridges were to be constructed in the eastern section from Gaindakot to Daunne. According to Information Officer Khanal, 22 bridges up to 25 meters long and 12 bridges longer than 25 meters are to be constructed in this section.

According to Information Officer Khanal, only the bridge over Arunkhola is yet to be constructed. The construction of the Arun Khola bridge is in the final stage. Among the bridges, approach road is being constructed at Kerunge River of Kawasoti and Girubari River of Chormara. Vehicles will be able to operate from these bridges in a few days. “The construction of the bridges has almost reached the final phase and some work remains on the Arun Khola bridge, that too will be completed soon,” said Information Officer Khanal. The construction of culverts is also in the final stage as some culverts are yet to be constructed.

The Narayangadh-Butwal road widening project has achieved 76 per cent physical progress. In the eastern section, the journey has become easier as most of the blacktopping works have been carried out in the area except Daunne. However, the road construction work is still pending in the Daunne area, making the journey easier.

The Narayangadh-Butwal road expansion works were initiated by China State Construction Corporation with the aim of completing the project on August 7, 2079. The Narayangadh-Butwal road section was divided into two sections.

The deadline was extended for the second time till July 21, 2081 as the work could not be completed within the stipulated time. The deadline was extended for the third time in July 2082 after the completion of the work during this period. Now the deadline has been extended till July 2083 for the fourth time.

The total cost of the road expansion project, which is being carried out with the loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), is Rs 16.99 billion in both phases. Of the total 113 kilometres of the road, 70 kilometres will be four lanes and 29 kilometres will have four lanes. A three-lane road will be constructed along a 14-kilometer stretch of Daun.