Blacktopping completed on eastern section of Muglin–Pokhara road

KATHMANDU: The blacktopping of the eastern stretch of the Muglin–Pokhara road has been completed.

China Communication Construction Company, the project’s contractor, organized a program in Bimalnagar of Tanahun on Friday to celebrate the achievement.

The expansion and blacktopping of the 41.5-kilometre stretch from Abukhaireni to Jamune into a four-lane road has been completed, according to project officials. Only minor tasks such as road marking and safety installations are remaining, Engineer Bishnu Prasad Pandey said.

The government is upgrading the Prithvi Highway—a key road link between Kathmandu and Pokhara—into a four-lane highway with loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank.

The contract for the eastern section was signed on January 30, 2021, with work beginning on April 15. The total cost of the eastern section contract is Rs 6.21 billion.

Work on the western section from Jamune to Pokhara, however, is progressing at a slower pace. Yanhui Kaiyuan Highway and Bridge Construction was awarded the contract for the 39-kilometer  western section in August 2021 for Rs 7.4 billion.

The government is also expanding the Nagdhunga–Muglin road into a four-lane highway. Different packages of the work have already been awarded to contractors.

(With inputs from RSS)