Five bridges under construction in Parbat section of Mid-Hill Highway

By Ganesh Poudel,Parbat, Jan. 31:Altogether five motorable bridges are set to be constructed in the Parbat section of the Madhya Pahadi Lokmarg (Mid-Hill Highway) project, connecting the east and west regions. Three motorable bridges will be built in Modi Rural Municipality and two in Kushma Municipality along the Pokhara-Kushma road section of the highway. 

During the rainy season, the Tamadi and Sundare rivers along the highway experienced flooding, resulting in road collapse and significant human and material damages. 

During a flood in the Tamadi River in the last week of October 2021, three individuals lost their lives when their car was washed away. Similarly, two years ago, three people, along with their car, were swept away by floodwaters in the Sundare River.

According to the Madhya Pahadi Public Road Project Office Parbat, the construction of a bridge is going on over the Tamadi River. The office said that 70 per cent of the work on the bridge has been completed.

Engineer Dhiraj Dhakal from the office provided information that the cost estimation for the remaining three bridges was underway. He mentioned that a process was underway for the construction of motorable bridges over the Modi Khola, Paati Khola, and Sundare Khola.

According to him, a single-lane bridge will be constructed over the Modi Khola in Dimuwa and Paati Khola in Patichaur. Dhakal said that another bridge would be constructed near the single-lane bridge which was already in use in both places.

A 62-metre-long bridge will be constructed over the Modi Khola while two 52-metre-long bridges will be built on either side of the existing bridge at Patichour. Similarly, an 80-metre-long bridge is planned over the Sundare Khola in Dobilla. The anticipated cost for these four bridges is Rs. 52.9 million, with the contract awarded for Rs. 44.15 million.

The Pokhara-Kushma road was upgraded to two lanes from one-lane road two years ago as part of the Madhya Paahadi Lokmarga project. However, the office said that following the expansion of the road to two lanes, the existing one-lane bridge on the old structure had increased traffic pressure. As a result, there are plans to construct additional bridges to alleviate congestion and enhance traffic flow.