Under the Muglin-Pokhara road expansion project, there was an agreement to complete the construction of the 'Signature' bridge over the Madi River in Damauli and the Seti River in Pokhara within three years, but by the deadline, only half of the construction work on both bridges had been completed.
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The construction of the 'Signature' bridge over the Madi River in Damauli and the Seti River in Pokhara was taken forward under the Muglin-Pokhara Road Expansion Project with the aim of completing the construction within three years. As of the agreed three-year deadline, the construction of both these bridges is only half complete.
The contract for the bridge over the Seti River in Kaski under the Pokhara-Muglin Road Expansion Project was awarded last Bhadra. Even after the 3-year contract period, the bridge construction work has not been completed, said Krishna Bahadur Kunwar, head of the western section (Pokhara-Jamune) of the Pokhara-Muglin Road Project.
According to him, the physical progress of the under-construction bridge is about 50 percent and the financial progress is about 49 percent. He said, "Since the bridge could not be completed within the agreed time, the construction work has been extended for the first time until Baisakh 13, 2083."
Rasuwa Construction took over the construction of the bridge in Shrawan 2079 BS. He said that the work was delayed because the construction company could not bring the necessary cables and other materials for the bridge construction on time. "The company was preparing to open a letter of credit (LC) to bring the necessary cables and other materials for the bridge construction from China in the month of Bhadra," said the project head Kunwar, "The delay was due to the Genji movement and other reasons." We have opened the LC just this week. Now, the goods are sure to arrive in 45 days.'
He said that even though the necessary materials have arrived, the work is being carried out at the current pace, but it is difficult to complete the bridge construction within the stipulated time. He said that despite a three-year agreement, it has taken time to remove the structures within the design approval and standards, and to resolve the disputes over the water supply pipes and roads leading to the houses.
The work on four foundations of the bridge to be built using the 'cable-stayed' technology has been completed and the construction of four towers has reached the final stage, he said. Although the construction of the 'signature' bridge to be built with an attractive design will take more time, the construction company has stated that the work on the upper structure will be done quickly. Two attractive 'signature' bridges will be built below and above the current bridge on the six-lane road. Concrete and iron have been used in the 190-meter-long bridge. The bridge is being constructed through the Roads Department with the loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank at a cost of Rs 940 million excluding VAT.
Similarly, the bridge under construction over the Madi River to connect Byas Municipality-4 and 5 of Tanahun under the eastern section has not been completed. Even after the 3-year contract agreement was completed, the physical progress of this bridge is only 72 percent.
According to Bishnu Prasad Pandey, engineer of the eastern section, the deadline expired on Bhadra 21. He said that since the deadline has expired, a recommendation has been made for an extension of the deadline until Asad 19. He said, ‘The construction company has expressed its commitment to complete the work within the extended deadline.’
The six-span bridge will be 315 meters long. This bridge, built in ‘arch design’ at a cost of about Rs 1.21 billion, will be the longest four-lane bridge on the Prithvi Highway.
Due to the delays in road expansion and bridge construction, the expected improvement in the upgrading work of the Prithvi Highway has not been achieved. After the completion of the ‘signature’ bridge over the Seti and Madi rivers, it is expected to add a new identity to not only the physical structure of the road, but also to both the tourism and transportation sectors of the Pokhara-Tanahun region.
