Budget for the project was allocated in the current fiscal year. The Department of Road (DoR) has already started working on its design after carrying out a preliminary survey. Rabindra Lal Das, DoR engineer and the project head, claimed that the road would be designed in a modern way.As the road section is the main trade link between Nepal and southern neighbor India, thousands of vehicles pass through the road section on a daily basis. About 70% of the country's cargoes pass through the road section. It has often led to traffic congestion and the road expansion project would be a huge relief to many.
"Preparation for the road upgrade is going ahead swiftly. We will complete the tender process within this fiscal year," said Das. "The project is expected to cost Rs 5.5 billion, which would include widening the bridges that fall along the road section," he informed.
The Birgunj-Pathlaiya road was constructed 57 years ago and it has not been upgraded since then. The proposed six-lane road will be constructed from Pathlaiya to Parwanipur of Birgunj. Stakeholders believe that the road expansion would not only ease transportation between the two countries, but also benefit the country's overall economy.
"Many newer roads in the country have already been upgraded to six lanes. The Birgunj-Pathlaiya road section should have been upgraded a long time ago, but it still remains to be upgraded," said Om Prakash Sharma, senior vice-president of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI).
"Despite its lateness, the news of its proposed upgrade has brought excitement among us. This is indeed a praiseworthy project of the government," he added.
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