Bailey bridge to be installed over Mai River in Ilam

By Kokila Dhakal,Ilam, Mar. 29: Work is underway to install a Bailey Bridge over the Mai River in Ilam along the alternative route to the Mechi Highway, a lifeline roadway linking the eastern hills.

Despite significant investments, the Golakharka-Rajduwali section of the highway continues to erode, prompting the authorities to find an alternative route to avoid the landslide-prone section.  

As an alternative route, a 12-kilometre dirt road connecting Simalgolai to the Jogmai and Mai rivers and Tilkeni is being prepared.

“To ensure smooth traffic flow along the Mechi Highway, which connects Ilam, Panchthar and Taplejung districts in eastern Nepal, the Road Division Office in Ilam has begun installing the Bailey Bridge over the Jogmai River along the Simalgolai-Tilkeni road,” said Pawan Bhattarai, chief of the Road Division Office.

A Bailey Bridge left idle over the Puwa Khola is being dismantled, and once it is installed over the Jogmai River, it will ease travel during the monsoon season, he said. 

“The contract to complete this project by June 13, 2025, has been signed with the Raut-Chaudhary Construction Company of Udayapur. However, the contractor aims to finish the work by the first week of June. We are working to speed up the process,” Bhattarai informed.

According to him, the 39-metre Bailey bridge installation project will cost Rs. 19 million (including VAT). In addition, about one kilometre of repairs have already been completed on the Simalgolai-Tilkeni road. The remaining 11 kilometres will undergo widening, cutting and gravel works, targeted for completion by July.

“We have allocated Rs. 40 million for the repair and operation of this 12-kilometre road. Our goal is to finish the work quickly and resume traffic,” he added. This section of the road will be suitable for taxis, pickups and other small vehicles, while larger vehicles will use the fast-track route, he said.

Bhattarai also informed that work is also ongoing for the Kechana-Kanchenjunga fast track, which offers a direct and quicker link between Ilam and Jhapa. For this, a 50-metre Bailey Bridge over the Puwa Khola has been contracted for Rs. 13.5 million.

This project is also scheduled to complete by June 13, 2025. “Plans are underway to build a small bridge over the Thadekhola in Soyak, construct diversions and prepare the road for operation,” he said. 

Gravel and blacktopping work up to the Belase Bridge in the Maikhola is also nearing completion. Construction work is progressing rapidly to ensure larger vehicles can operate along this route all seasons, according to Bhattarai.

“Once these two roads are operational, travel issues in the eastern hills will be significantly reduced,” he said.

Meanwhile, efforts are also going on to repair the Maikhola-Rajduwali section, which has faced recurring landslides for years. However, vehicular movement in this particular section is feared to become difficult once the monsoon begins.