Although the construction of the overpass at Lahan Main Chowk, which had been stalled since Asad, resumed on Asoj 23, traffic and trade in the Chowk area are being affected due to structural delays.
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Construction of an overpass in Lahan, which had been stalled for three months, has resumed as part of the expansion of the Kanchanpur-Kamala road along the East-West Highway.
The overpass work, which was halted since the last week of Asad, has resumed on Asoj 23. Although 26 pile foundations at a depth of 35 meters of the overpass being constructed at Lahan Main Chowk have been completed, the Chowk area has become chaotic due to delays in other structures. Local businessman Dambar Ghimire said, 'Vehicle movement has become chaotic due to the halt in construction, and it has become difficult to do business due to dust and mud.'
Even though a diversion has been arranged for one-way traffic after the demolition of the Martyr's Memorial, public life is being affected by the risk of accidents, dust and mud. Last Asad, locals even staged a road blockade. The construction company, China Railway-2 Engineering Group, is working on the project.
Kanchanpur-Kamala Road Expansion Project West Section Information Officer Engineer Saroj Kumar Koirala said that the main reasons for the delay in construction in the Lahan section are local protests, festivals and heavy rains. He said, 'The road construction work has also been delayed due to the compulsion to carry out other work without laying the pile foundations of the underpass, overpass and sky bridge.'
In addition, he said that the work was further affected when the electricity poles in the road area were not removed on time. It is said that the length of the overpass under construction is 550 meters, the ground clearance is six meters and the height will be as per international standards.
A contract agreement was signed in 2020 at a cost of Rs 15.66 billion to upgrade the 86.83-kilometer road from Kanchanpur in Saptari to Kamala River in Siraha to four lanes. So far, 112 culverts and 25 bridges have been completed, and 12 bridges have been opened for traffic. However, with two months left to the deadline, the construction company has stated that the overall progress is only 67 percent.
