Kakarbhitta–Laukahi section of Asian Highway sees 35 pc progress in 2 years

BELBARI, MORANG: Around 35% of the construction of Kakarbhitta–Laukahi road section of the Asian Highway has been completed in two years, project officials said. Construction of the road began on February 2, 2024, with financial support from the Asian Development Bank and a target of completing it within three years. The estimated cost of the project is $300 million.

Jagat Prajapati, chief of the West Section Itahari Office for the project, said that single‑lane tarmacking of the road westwards from Padajungi in Jhapa began on Sunday. Although the 120‑kilometre road from Kakarbhitta to Laukahi under Asian Highway No. 2 is to be upgraded, construction activities are currently underway on only 95.76 kilometres, he said.

Construction activities are being carried out by dividing the section into two parts — the east section and the west section. One‑lane tarmacking of around 20 kilometres in each section has been completed, Prajapati said.

Sunil Babu Panta, chief of the East Section Damak Office, said that around 35% of construction work on the east section has also been completed, adding that construction activities would gain momentum if there is a smooth supply of construction materials.

Around 80% of the work to relocate electric poles on the east section has been completed, and around 40% on the west section, Panta said. Twenty‑three per cent progress has been achieved so far in the construction of large bridges in the east section, while 25% has been achieved in the west section, according to the office.

The Asian Highway starts in Bangkok, Thailand, and reaches Karachi, Pakistan, via Myanmar, Bangladesh and India, including the East–West Highway from Kakarbhitta in Nepal and Delhi in India.

The road will be widened to 50 metres in urban areas, 24 metres in forested areas and 33 metres in rural areas.

(With inputs from RSS)