Dhanusha, November 1
Construction of two footbridges at Mahendranagar Bazar in Kshireshwarnath Municipality-5, Dhanusha, along the Janakpurdham-Dhalkebar six-lane trade road has been completed. Painting and beautification works are underway, and preparations are being made to open the bridges to the public soon.
The Road Division Office, Mujeliya, Janakpurdham, said the bridges, the first of their kind in Madhesh Province, were built to make pedestrian movement safer and more convenient.
An estimated Rs 105 million was allocated for the construction of three footbridges—two at Mahila Bikas Chowk and Sakhuwa Chowk, where pedestrian traffic is high, and one in Laxminiya Rural Municipality. Of the three, the two bridges in Mahendranagar have been completed, said Daroga Prasad Sah, chief divisional engineer at the Road Division Office.
According to him, construction of the third bridge in Laxminiya Rural Municipality is also progressing rapidly. The project aims to complete it by the end of Mangsir.
The bridge at Mahila Bikas Chowk has been allocated Rs 33.5 million, the one at Sakhuwa Chowk Rs 35.7 million, and the bridge in Laxminiya Rs 34.2 million. The estimated costs of all three bridges include value-added tax (VAT). Two construction companies have been awarded the contracts.
According to Ujjwal Jha, a site engineer at the Road Division Office, each bridge is 5.6 metres high, 29.4 metres long and three metres wide. He said the bridges would eliminate the need for pedestrians to risk crossing the busy road amid moving traffic.
Police Inspector Surya Bahadur Shahi, chief of the District Traffic Police Office, Dhanusha, said the bridges would reduce the risk of road accidents. He said hundreds of pedestrians use the road daily, as it is a major route connecting Janakpurdham to the East-West Highway.
Resident Shambhu Prasad Yadav said crossing the road had been risky because of the presence of weekly markets, educational institutions and residential areas around Mahila Bikas Chowk and Sakhuwa Chowk.
Yadav, who is also the principal of Kshireshwarnath Multiple Campus, expressed confidence that the bridges would make commuting easier for children, students and senior citizens.
—RSS
