Mugling-Pokhara road expansion project to start blacktopping in February

December 29, Kathmandu: The project developers of the Mugling-Pokhara Road Expansion Project have announced that they will start blacktopping the west section of the highway from the first week of February 2024.

The project has faced delays and criticisms due to slow progress and poor quality of work.

The west section of the project covers 39 kilometres from the Seti river bridge at Prithvi Chowk in Pokhara to Jamune of Tanahun.

A contract has been signed with the Chinese company, Anhui Kaiyuan Highway and Bridge Co Ltd, China for the construction of this section. The project cost is Rs 7 billion 404 million and 600 thousand. The project deadline is 16 August, 2024.

Project Engineer Narayan Prasad Poudel said that the workers are currently fixing the base along the Jamune-Pokhara road section to prepare for the blacktopping.

He added that the base work of around 2 kilometres has been completed. He also said that 60 Nepali and 50 Chinese engineers and more than 400 other workers are deployed in the section to expedite the construction works.

The width of the road at Dulegaunda bazaar and main market areas will be 46 metres while it will be 18 metres from the Jamune to Kumlekhola section and 23 metres wide in the rest of the other sections.

The project aims to expand the two-lane road from Pokhara to Mugling into a four-lane road with the concessional loan assistance of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The project is divided into two sections: the west section and the east section. The east section stretches 43 kilometres from Jamune to Aanbukhaireni and is looked after by the project’s office set up at Gunadi.