Doubts have been cast on completion of Koteshwor-Kalanki road expansion in the stipulated time four years after construction began.
The expansion work of the 10-km section of the Ring Road aided by the Chinese government was kicked off in 2013 with an aim to complete it by 2016. However, the deadline for the 40-month-project of upgrading the then two-lane road into an eight-lane one has already been extended by two years.
With this, the road upgradation has to be completed and handed over to the government on July 31, 2018. Earlier, Nepal government and Chinese company Sanghai Construction Group had signed an agreement to begin the expansion of road from June 2013.
The deadline was extended by two years citing the Indian blockade and earthquake.
Meanwhile, many Nepali officials still doubt that the project will be completed in time. But the project's engineers have said that such conclusions should not be made now.
Engineer Nirajan Aryal expressed hope that the project will be completed in time as most of the project work including complicated works have been completed and the remaining works are of soft nature.
Aryal said that works including making the base of the side lane from Koteshwor to Ekantakuna and compressing it have been completed and final layer is being put at the middle section of that stretch. He added that the compression works on the five-km stretch from Ekantakuna to Kalanki after making a base have already started.
"It seems like most of the works are remaining but the construction of flyover is over. Underpass construction has gained pace," he said, "Now the remaining work is road compression and final blacktopping to give the final touch."
The Chinese government will also expand the remaining 17-km stretch of the Ring Road along to go with the current expansion of the 10.39-km road. A feasibility study is underway from Kalanki to Maharajgunj for the second phase.
The study on the second phase will also be completed after conducting the feasibility study, according to Sanjay Shrestha of Department of Roads. The report of the second phase is now being studied.
