East section of Muglin-Pokhara road blacktopped

By Amar Raj Naharki,Tanahun, June 28: The blacktopping on the eastern section of the Muglin-Pokhara road under the Prithvi Highway expansion project has been completed. 

With the road now blacktopped, travellers no longer have to face the inconvenience of muddy roads during rainfall and dusty conditions during dry weather. According to Prakash Chandra Bhandari, Chief Engineer of the project’s eastern section, blacktopping has been completed on both sides of the 41.45-kilometre stretch from Aanbukhaireni to Jamune. Only minor works remain, which are expected to be completed by November.

“The blacktopping has been completed within the original three-year contract period, along with an additional 456 days granted due to various obstacles. We are happy that this major task has been completed despite the challenges,” Bhandari said.

According to the project, blacktopping was completed before mid-July, the deadline. The contract for the eastern section was signed on January 30, 2021, and work officially began on April 15, 2021. The contract for the eastern section was awarded to China Communication Construction Company.

Due to the increasing traffic along the Prithvi Highway, originally designed in 1969, the road is being expanded to four lanes with financial support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The contract value for the eastern section stands at Rs. 6.21 billion. The 80-kilometre stretch from Aanbukhaireni in Tanahun to Prithvi Chowk in Kaski has been divided into two sections for upgrading to four lanes -- the eastern section (Aanbukhaireni-Jamune) and the western section (Jamune-Pokhara).

To mark the completion of the blacktopping work, China Communication Construction organised a celebration event on Thursday at Chunpahara, Bimalnagar in Bandipur Rural Municipality-4. The event was attended by company representatives, consultants, workers and other stakeholders.