Kaligandaki Corridor to get seven new bridges

By Tilachan Pandey

Tamghas, Gulmi, Apr. 8: Vehicles and passengers who have long faced difficulties due to the lack of bridges over rivers along the Kaligandaki Corridor are set to get relief.

During the monsoon, travellers have been forced to take risks while crossing rivers without bridges. The planned construction is expected to ease these dangers.

According to Birendra Teli, Information Officer at the Kaligandaki Corridor Gaindakot-Ramdi-Maldhunga Road Project Office in Palpa, seven bridges will be constructed in the Gulmi section. These include bridges over Badhare Khola, Dihing Khola, Baudi Khola, Hasmadi Khola, Bade Khola, Siureni Khola and Palung Khola.

In total, 10 bridges will be built -- seven in Gulmi, two in Baglung and one in Palpa. In addition, four concrete bridges will be constructed along the Kaligandaki Highway in the Syangja and Parbat sections.

The office has requested budget allocation to begin construction of 14 bridges under its jurisdiction in the next fiscal year. The estimated cost for completing these bridges is Rs. 851.857 million.

Teli said the bridge designs have been completed and a proposal has been sent to the department to secure budget under a multi-year contract. The bridges will range from 15 to 40 metres in length, with a standard width of 11 metres.

Ramu Pandey, a driver operating on the Butwal-Purtighat route, said that the absence of bridges forces drivers to take significant risks during the monsoon. He added that travelling becomes unsafe for both passengers and drivers.

Of the 240-kilometre road under the Kaligandaki Corridor, 17 kilometres of the Ramdi–Ranighat section still remain to be blacktopped. Teli said work is ongoing and is expected to be completed in the next fiscal year.

Similarly, construction of the 53-kilometre Mirmee–Setibeni–Phalebas–Armadi section of the Kaligandaki Highway, also under the same office, is progressing rapidly.