Syangja, August 10
Nepal’s first tied-arch motorable bridge has been completed over the Kali Gandaki River at Ramdi, on the border of Syangja and Palpa districts, connecting Gandaki and Lumbini provinces.
With the main construction work completed, the bridge is expected to be opened to traffic after some minor finishing works are completed and obstructions at both ends of the bridge are removed.
According to the Pokhara Bridge Sector, the bridge constructed at Ramnadi (Ramdi) is based on the concrete-filled steel tube arch bridge, or tied-arch, technology. The bridge was designed by Thai designers. Although bridges using similar technology have been constructed in Bhutan, China and Dubai, this is the first of its kind in Nepal.
The single-span bridge is 120 metres long and 11 metres wide. According to Krishna Prasad Adhikari, chief of the Pokhara Bridge Sector, the new bridge is 27 metres longer than the old truss bridge, which was constructed in 2028 BS.
A contract was signed with Him Sagarmatha Pvt. Ltd., Chitwan, on Asar 30, 2079 BS, with a three-year completion deadline. However, construction could not be completed within the stipulated period due to delays in preparing the design and the failure to receive construction materials from India and the required technical experts from China on time.
The contract was signed for Rs 277.109 million. Adhikari said only some minor construction work on both sides of the bridge and painting remain to be completed.
According to him, the old truss bridge had been deteriorating, creating difficulties, particularly for the operation of heavy vehicles. The new bridge has a load-bearing capacity of 70 metric tonnes, allowing even large cargo vehicles to cross it with ease.
Although the initial construction period was set at three years, the deadline was extended by one year until Asar 27 to complete the work.
However, some houses at both ends of the bridge still need to be removed before it can be brought into operation. Adhikari said preparations are underway to begin regular vehicular movement on the new bridge within about a month after the structures are cleared.
The old truss bridge at Ramdi was started in 2022 BS with the construction of the Siddhartha Highway. It was completed about six years later in 2028 BS and inaugurated by then-Prime Minister Kirti Nidhi Bista.
For more than five decades, the bridge served as a major transportation link between Gandaki and Lumbini provinces. However, as it gradually deteriorated, the need for a new bridge became increasingly apparent.
Authorities expect the new bridge to make transportation between Gandaki and Lumbini provinces safer, easier and more efficient. It is also expected to end the long-standing dependence on the deteriorating truss bridge.
