Economic Survey: 325km roads tarmacked, 80 bridges constructed in eight months of current FY

KATHMANDU: The tarmacking of 325 kilometres (km) of roads and construction of 80 motorable bridges have been completed in eight months of the current fiscal year, 2021/22. Similarly, 265km road has been gravelled and 95 repaired, according to the Economic Survey Report unveiled by the government on Saturday. The expansion of roads has increased up to 33,871km (16,939km tarmacked and 8,821 km fair-weather roads) in the country as opposed to 16,614km tarmacked, 8,071km gravelled and 8,931km fair-weather roads until the previous FY, 2020/21. A total of 192 bridges were constructed in the previous FY. A total of 64,617km of roads including fair-weather, gravelled and tarmacked at provincial and local levels were constructed in eight months of the current FY as compared to 63,696km of roads in the previous FY. Of the total constructed roads, mountainous region has made up 16%, hilly area 55% and Tarai 29%. The national pride project, 1,157km Mid-Hilly Highway, has added 44km of roads in six months. Of 129 bridges under-construction along the Highway, 92 have been completed so far. Eighty-one kilometres of roads along the Postal Highway have been completed and five bridges. Gaidakot-Ramdi-Maldhunga road under the Kaligandaki Corridor has got 64km road tarmacked. One hundred thirty-two kilometres of roads along the Maldhunga-Beni-Jomsom-Korala have been gravelled and 25km tarmacked. The 261km Simkot-Sarisalla road under the Karnali Corridor has added three kilometres. The 241km tarmacked road under the Madan Bhandari Highway has got four km added. Two kilometres have been added to Rani-Biratnagar-Itahari-Dharan road, 1.2km to Jatahi-Janakpur-Dhalkebar, 2.2km to Birgunj-Pathalaiya and 500 metres (m) to Mohana-Attariya. Under local infrastructures, 215 suspension bridges and four road bridges were constructed. The number of suspension bridges in the country has hit 9,388 and road bridges 627. Out of 143 identified twine, 134 have been replaced, according to the survey. Of the 79km railway in Nepali territory under the Jaynagar-Janakpur-Kurtha-Bijalpura and Bathanaha-Biratnagar railway, 56 km have been completed. Jaynagar-Kurtha railway has come into operation in the current FY. Laying trackbed along 1.5km of the Bardibas-Nijgadh railway under the East-West electric railway has been completed. With this, 50.2km railway has got trackbed laying. A feasibility study has been carried out to run water transportation in the Karnali River (Khakraula-Khimadi (115km), the Kaligandaki River (Ramdi-Devghat (95km), Koshi River (Chatara-Tumlingtar (75km), the Narayani River (Devghat-Gandak (85km), Trishuli River (Devghat-Muglin (22km) and the Sunkoshi River (Arun confluence and above (22km). READ ALSO:

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