MUSTANG: The concrete motorable bridge over Ghami Khola in Lo Ghekar Damodarkunda Rural Municipality-2, Mustang, has been completed under the North-South Trade Route Expansion Project, improving connectivity along the Jomsom-Korola road corridor.
Project officials said this is the 15th concrete bridge completed on the 202-kilometer Maldhunga-Korala section. The bridge, contracted in 2075 BS, was finished recently after prolonged delays caused by difficult terrain, harsh weather, snowfall, and slow progress by the contractor.
Project chief Tejashwi Sharma said the contractor was repeatedly warned and penalized under public procurement rules before the work was finally completed with support from local representatives.
Originally scheduled for completion by Poush 9, 2078 BS, the project was extended several times and was ultimately finished about five years after the contractual deadline.
The 40-meter bridge, built at a cost of Rs 68 million, now allows year-round movement toward the Korala border point. Previously, monsoon flooding often disrupted traffic and left cargo containers carrying goods from China stranded for weeks.
Rural municipality chair Lobasang Chompel Bista said a temporary diversion road had been built last year to ease transportation. The bridge was formally inaugurated after completion.
The Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project has also completed bridges over the Kaiku, Seti, and Larjung rivers, while new tenders have been issued for bridges over Ghatte Khola and Thapa Khola and for blacktopping the Chhusang-Ghami road section.
