TIKAPUR, March 7: The construction work of Kuine bridge which started last year, is gaining momentum with 60% of the work completed so far. According to the construction company Anak-Lumbini JV, the construction work is being carried out under the 'Multi-Span Arch' design.

Rabin Chaudhary, representative of the construction company, said that, the construction work will be completed within mid-July 2021. The construction of the right abutment is taking place in the western side of the bridge, which will be completed within three months, said Chaudhary. He also informed that the plastering of the eastern side of the bridge will be completed within a month. “If the work takes place in this very pace, we will be able to complete the project within the stipulated time frame,” he said, “There are no obstacles in the construction work right now.”

The construction work of the project had started late. Though the contract was signed in 2015, the construction work started only in 2018. According to the construction company, it took two years to prepare the bridge's design.

Due to the delay in preparation of the design, the deadline was extended to 2021. The bridge is being constructed with an estimated investment of Rs 350 million using new technology. 

With the construction of the bridge, the East-West highway will be connected with the Karnali highway. The construction of the bridge will enable the residents of Surkhet, Kalikot, Dailekh, Jumla, Humla, Dolpa, Mugu, Bajura, and Achham, among other districts to cut down on travel time. After the construction of the bridge, the Baddichaur-Kohalpur-Chisapani distance of 200 kilometers roadway will be shrunk to 52 kilometers.

“The obligation to travel through a long route will come to an end,” said Laxman Thapa, a local, “It will provide a great relief to the residents of the hilly regions.” Locals of the eastern part of Surkhet need to reach Chisapani to buy their daily essentials. For the locals, Chisapani of Kailali is geographically nearer than Birendranagar, the headquarters of the district. Dharmendra Majhi of Mohanyal Rural Municipality-7 said that, the bridge's construction will let them easily travel to Chisapani of Kailali. 

The bridge will also connect the Karnali Province as the nearest border point with India. People from the Far-West and the Mid-West go to India for employment using border points at Banke, Kailali and Kanchanpur districts. With the construction of the bridge, they can reach the border point in few hours. 

 
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