There is one such bridge on Hulaki Highway - which has been standing for 14 years. But it has not been completed yet. This 725 meter long bridge over the Kankai River connecting Gauriganj Rural Municipality of Jhapa with Jhapa Rural Municipality is still incomplete.

This important structure under the Hulaki Highway has become a victim of the neglect of the state and the extreme carelessness of the builders. The story of this bridge is the home district of Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli and Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Devendra Dahal.

Oli assured that the Kankai Bridge would be built soon during the election. However, no concrete achievement has been seen yet. On the postal highway starting from Bhadrapur in Jhapa, only the construction of the bridge over Kankai river is left. However, this one incomplete structure has made the 91 km long journey from Jhapa-Viratnagar more difficult. 

Engineer Upendra Das of Hulaki Rajagarma Directorate Planning Office Itahari said that all the bridges of Bhadrapur-Rangeli-Viratnagar section have been completed and only Kankai bridge is left. 

Ratuwa river bridge has also been completed recently after a long time . Viring bridge has also been built. "There is a problem when traveling from Bhadrapur to Biratnagar, the bridge of Kankai", Engineer Das said, "Until it is new, postal travel is not easy."

According to him, the Kankai river can be crossed in winter. However, crossing the river during the dry season is also a problem. Now common people are coming and going through the bamboo ladder. 20 per person, 30 per person with bicycle and 50 per person with motor cycle. A four-wheeler cannot be driven from Phadke. 

'The only major problem of the Hulaki highway is the incomplete bridge at Kankai,' says Atram Rajwanshi, a local resident of Gauriganj, 'Until this bridge is completed, travel on the Hulaki highway will not be easy.'

East-West highway expansion is currently underway. Because of this, public transport travel is very comfortable . At this time, some common people who drive two wheelers are using Hulaki road as an alternative road.

'Had the Kankai bridge been built on time, many people would have used the Hulaki road as an alternative road', said local Ram Lakhan Yadav, 'but now the Hulaki road has become a drying yard.' On May 14, 2068, the Pappu-Mahadev-Khimti JV company got the contract for the construction of the Kankai bridge worth around 33 crores . This bridge, which started with the goal of completing the construction by 2072, has been extended five times. There has been a demand for extension for the sixth time. 

After Pappu left the construction partnership in 2075, Mahadev Khimti has been working alone. So far, 10 out of 19 columns (spans) have been constructed . Engineer Das said that he requested to extend the time till the next 2084 to complete the bridge by constructing the remaining 9 spans.

Engineer Das claims that about 65 percent of the work has been completed. "There was negligence in the past, but now the construction company has a commitment not to repeat that mistake", Das said, "if the bridge is built within 84, the journey from Jhapa to Biratnagar will be shortened."

The road connecting 20 districts of Terai

The Hulaki road project extending east-west of Nepal aims to expand the easy access of transportation to the settlements of Terai. Extending from Bhadrapur in Jhapa to Dodhara-Chandni in West Kanchanpur, this highway will connect 20 districts of the Terai through a two-lane road.

The history of Hulaki road is connected with the Rana period. The initial form of this highway is considered to be the short route used by postmen carrying letters. This route is also known as 'Padma Road' because the then Prime Minister Padmashamsher started it. This 975 km long highway aims to provide easy access to the districts of Terai-Madhes.