KATHMANDU: Road upgrading activities for the Mugling-Pokhara road expansion along the Prithvi Highway will be paused during the rainy season. Road extension and blacktopping will give way to more important construction activities including culverts, retaining walls, and drainage. This action is intended to lessen the likelihood of floods and landslides during the monsoon season. One of the continuing projects, according to engineer Bishnu Pandey, is planting saplings in landslide-prone locations to stop soil erosion.
Engineer Pandey stated that construction activities are carefully handled during daylight hours to reduce the risk of landslides. The project has made significant progress, with 62% completed in the east segment and 28% in the west section. Of the complete 80 kilometers of road, about 53 kilometers have been blacktopped, with 33 kilometers in the east and 20 kilometers in the west.
Two sections make up the road expansion project: a 41.7-kilometer stretch that runs eastward and a 38.88-kilometer stretch that runs westward. All actions that do not include blacktopping will be prohibited from mid-June to mid-October, during the monsoon season. This strategy aids in the management of the dangers brought on by prolonged rain and possible landslides.
The four-lane reconstruction of the roadway is being funded by the Asian Development Bank. The project's west has been given a budget of Rs 7.40 billion, while the east is being funded with Rs 6.21 billion. With the monsoon season posing obstacles, this financing supports the broader endeavor to improve the road infrastructure.
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