Highway construction slows as freezing cold causes worker shortage

By Janarjan Khatri, Sarlahi, Jan 7: The work on the expansion of the East-West Highway turned sluggish in line with the ongoing cold wave and freezing cold.

Engineer Ramesh Pandey, in charge of the Phuljhor-Bagmati section of Sarlahi of the project, said that it is difficult to mobilize the wage workers for the road construction because of extreme cold owing to heavy fog and a cold wave that has been persistent lately. 

The construction has been sluggish as the mercury dips low.

He said, "Working is going sluggish because of trouble in managing workers owing to the extreme cold. The available workers are working aptly."

Local workers have been mobilized for the road expansion project.

Information officer of the Kamala-Dhalkebar Pathlaiya road project (East Section), Engineer Ramtahal Yadav, said that cutting trees is going on simultaneously in priority along construction of the culvert and bridge in three districts, in ongoing on priority."

Under the 130-kilometer East-West Highway extension from Kamala Bridge to Pathlaiya, work is currently being contracted only in Dhanusha, Mahottari, and Sarlahi, while contracts are yet to be awarded in Rautahat and Bara.

Work is underway on the first section from Kamala Bridge to Jamunibas in Dhanusha, the second section from there to Phuljor in Sarlahi, and the third section from Phuljor to Bagmati, after signing agreements with three different construction companies.

Chief of the project and Senior Divisional Engineer Rajesh Kumar Das said that jungle work is heavy because of cold especially relocating the electric poles. 

"The work is also being delayed to some extent due to the effects of the cold," said Project Chief Das. "In addition, we are facing problems as the work of moving the electricity poles is very slow.

He urged the Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) to transfer poles promptly and said that he has been knocking door of the provincial office of NEA in Janakpur every day. 

He said that he has been urging construction to complete the construction of bridges and culverts in places where a new structure has to be built, replacing old ones, before the onset of the monsoon. 

The Department of Roads, with the assistance of a loan from the World Bank, is working to expand the two-lane East-West Highway to 31 meters wide with six lanes in the market area and 18 meters wide with four lanes in other places.

Signature Bridge is being built over the Bagmati River, bordering Sarlahi and Rautahat, along the highway expansion, while an overpass is being built in the main cities. 

Although the existing narrow bridge on the highway will be completely demolished and a new one will be built, other long bridges will be repaired and a new two-lane bridge will be built next to it and put into operation.