Hosti Bridge completes, others unfinished

BY OUR CORRESPONDENT,Syangja, Jan. 18: While more than half a dozen motorable bridges over the Kaligandaki River are still under construction despite exceeding their deadlines, the Hosti Bridge has been completed within one and a half years.

The bridge, which connects Chapkot-10 and Rampur-10 and links Gandaki and Lumbini provinces, was contracted on November 10, 2022, to Sapana Nirman Sewa, with a completion period of three years.

Although construction could not begin for a year due to delays in finalising the design, the bridge was completed within one and a half years after work commenced.

Despite even smaller bridges exceeding their deadlines, the three-span bridge, measuring 200 metres in length, was completed ahead of schedule. Engineer Bidur Subedi of the Bridge Sector, Pokhara, said the project was contracted for Rs 306.44 million.

The bridge is the closest one after the Ramnadi Bridge linking the Kaligandaki River to the Kaligandaki corridor. 

With the completion of the bridge, travel from the Kaligandaki area to Lumbini Province has become easier. Local Resham Pangeni said the timely construction had removed the earlier compulsion of making long detours via Nirdimghat and Hugi to cross the river.

Meanwhile, the motorable bridge connecting Aandhighat in Chapkot and Bardale in Rampur was completed after eight years. The project was contracted on December 8, 2017, to MS Sapana-Mahadev Khimti-Hira JV, with an original completion period of three years.

According to the Bridge Sector in Pokhara, the 220-metre-long bridge at Aandhighat is almost complete, except for minor works. The project was contracted at Rs 283.73 million. The contractor had extended the deadline for the four-span bridge for the fifth time, up to April 13.