Kathmandu, November 13
Construction of the Kamala River bridge, which connects Siraha and Dhanusha districts along the long-delayed Postal Highway, has reached its final stage after nearly 15 years.
Krishna Kumar Mahato, chief of the Postal Highway Directorate in Janakpur, said construction and repair work had been completed and the installation of expansion joints was nearing completion.
According to Mahato, workers are currently building approach roads by filling soil on both sides of the bridge, constructing embankments and installing railings. Work has been expedited following special attention from the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure.
The ministry stepped up its involvement after Onlinekhabar published a report titled ‘For 15 years, Kamala Bridge has been a promise that never ends’ on October 29. Physical Infrastructure Minister Sunil Lamsal had posted on social media that same night, claiming the bridge would come into operation by November.
Mahato said the bridge would be completed and opened to traffic within the announced timeframe.
“Construction work is in its final stage. Work on the expansion joints is underway. Railings are being installed, and approach roads are being built by filling soil on both sides, along with embankment construction. The bridge will come into operation from the first week of Mangsir,” he said.
The prolonged delay has caused difficulties for thousands of people who travel daily along the Postal Highway, considered a lifeline for Madhes Province.
The bridge was initially awarded to Pappu Construction in 2011, with a contract worth Rs 249.1 million and a deadline of 42 months. After the project remained stalled, the contract was awarded to Lumbini Builders on July 28, 2021, to complete the 470-metre bridge.
Just as construction was nearing completion and preparations were underway to open it, the bridge subsided on July 1, 2021, following continuous rainfall and flooding in the Kamala River.
For the current fiscal year, the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure has secured a budget of Rs 250 million for the bridge project and river control works.
Despite the latest progress, concerns remain over the bridge’s long-term durability. Technical assessments have raised questions about its design and the quality of construction materials, with concerns that these may have contributed to the bridge subsiding before it could be opened to traffic.
The Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA) reportedly concluded that the bridge’s design had been copied from the design of a bridge over the Balan River. However, sources said the commission had temporarily put its case on hold to allow the stalled bridge to be brought into operation.
