After 17 long years, bridge finally takes shape over Ratuwa Khola

By Hari Prasad Koirala,Urlabari, Feb. 16: After a wait of 17 years, a bridge has finally been constructed over the Ratuwa Khola, connecting Ratuwamai Municipality in Morang and Gauriganj Rural Municipality in Jhapa district along the Bhadrapur Postal Highway.  

With the bridge coming into operation on February 7 this year, locals are now relieved from having to use a makeshift wooden bridge in the dry season and paying for boat crossings during the monsoon. However, access roads connecting both ends of the bridge are yet to be completed.  

The Ratuwa Khola Bridge, under the Morang-Sunsari Bridge Project, had its contract initially awarded to Kalika-OCA JV in the Fiscal Year 2007/08 for Rs. 103.2 million. At that time, only a 204.8-metre section of the bridge was constructed, leaving the central span incomplete. The bridge became operational after the remaining spans—one measuring 26 metres on the Jhapa side and two spans of 50 metres on the Morang side—was added later. 

According to Upendra Das, an engineer and Information Officer at the Itahari-based Postal Highway Directorate, the exact date of the bridge’s foundation stone laying is unknown with some locals recalling it was in 2009. Despite multiple deadline extensions, the project remained incomplete, leading to a second contract in 2022.  

For the additional 76.3 metres of the bridge, the Postal Highway Project signed a contract with Dev and Sair/Samata/Ashisdeep JV on 1 January 2023 for Rs. 221.2 million. Das said that the work was completed as per the agreement.  

Now, the bridge extends to a total length of 282.5 metres and has a width of six metres, including pedestrian walkways. Its completion has significantly eased travel for residents of southern Jhapa and Morang, who can now access Koshi Province’s capital, Biratnagar, more conveniently via the Postal Highway.  

For safety, embankments measuring 650 metres on the Jhapa side and 1,400 metres on the Morang side are also being constructed.  

According to the Postal Highway Project, four more bridges are yet to be constructed along the 94-kilometre stretch from Biratnagar to Bhadrapur. Three of these are currently operating as temporary crossings, while the Kanakai Bridge remains incomplete. 

Meanwhile, blacktopping has been completed in the Jhapa section, but a 13-kilometre stretch from the bridge in Morang to Singhiya River had been stalled for a long time before bridge construction was started.  

The newly opened route is 24 kilometres shorter than the existing Biratnagar-Itahari-Birtamod-Bhadrapur road, providing a faster alternative for travelers