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Road construction resumes

13 December 2009

With the end of monsoon, the construction work on the new Samtse-Phuentsholing highway has resumed.

“As soon as the monsoon ended, we started restoration works by clearing the blockages and damages caused during the monsoon,” said Niralal Rai, the Executive Engineer of the Department of Roads. During the monsoon season, the construction work was withheld and only maintenance work done.

Niralal said the project had to bear additional cost worth Nu 4.17 million due to damages caused during the monsoon. “This year, due to severe monsoon, the formations were washed away and walls, damaged.”

At present, though 50 km of formation cutting is complete, work is still in progress at Halhalay (27 km from Samtse) and Panbari (35 km from Samtse). “Right now we are still concentrating in these areas as the terrain is rocky and it needs gradient leveling before the formation cutting is done,” he said.

Niralal said that by next month, the construction of other structures such as culverts and retaining walls would also begin. “We are in the tendering process and hopefully the contractor will take over by next month.” According to Niralal, the road would be open to traffic by the end of the 10th five-year plan. Once complete, the length of the road would be around 60 km, 18 km shorter than the present route through India.

The initial cost of the project was Nu 94 million in the previous fiscal year, but the budget has been cut to Nu 50 million due to the financial constrains this financial year, said Niralal.

The construction of the Samtse-Phuentsholing highway began in February 2005.

Meanwhile, the construction of the 175-metre-long and 7.5-metre-wide bridge, the longest motorable bridge in the country, is also underway on the new highway. The construction of the bridge started in April and is expected to be completed in 2011.

The steel-arch-bridge will connect Tading Gewog and Phuentsholing municipality. A budget of Nu 175.5 million was allocated for the bridge.

A 26-km road diversion to Dorokha from Phuentsholing is also underway. The road to Dorokha has a budget allocation of Nu 30 million.

By Pushkar Chhetri

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