Design of Sunkoshi Bridge changed seven years after contract award

By Raj Kumar Bhattarai,Khotang, Mar. 28: Seven years after the contract was awarded, the design of the Dhaplangghat bridge over the Sunkoshi River linking Khotang and Udayapur districts has been altered.  

The agreement for the construction of a motorable bridge over the Sunkoshi River was signed on July 14, 2016, fixing July 15, 2019, as the deadline to complete the project.  The contract was awarded to Rasuwa-SNS-Pappu JV.

Roads on either side of the river both in Khotang and Udayapur districts were constructed years ago. However, there is still no motorable bridge at Dhaplangghat, compelling locals to use a suspension bridge to go across the mighty river.

In seven years, the contractor has only erected pillars on either bank of the river. After completing around 15 per cent of the work on the bridge, the Department of Roads has changed the bridge's design, favouring the contractor company.

According to the contract, the bridge connecting Suntale in Barahpokhari Rural Municipality-2 of Khotang and Triyuga Municipality-14 of Udayapur should have been completed four years ago. But now the Department of Roads has changed the bridge design instead.

With the approval of the new design, the contractor has started works to build the bridge since March 11 this year.

In the initial design, the bridge was to have four 'well' foundations. However, with the design alteration, the bridge will have four 'pile' foundations. 

On July 31 last year, the construction company requested a design review from the Department of Roads to adopt the 'pile' foundation technique for building the bridge, citing technical difficulties in applying the 'well' foundation method.  

The Department of Rodas has already withdrawn the advance payment guarantee of Rs. 44.2 million from the contractor company because of the delay in the construction.

Bhupendra Rai, a Member of the Koshi Provincial Assembly elected from Khotang, said that due to the incorrect design, the bridge construction was delayed. 

“After a change in the design, the contractor has resumed the works,” he said. 

According to Rai, when the construction company was urged to accelerate the bridge construction work, it said that the bridge construction was delayed because of the old design.

 Later, the design was altered based on expert suggestions, and now the construction work has commenced, Rai informed.

After the construction of the motorable bridge, the residents of Barhapokhari, Jantedhunga, and Khotehang Rural Municipalities in Khotang district as well as those in Bhojpur will find it easier to reach various cities of the Tarai in Koshi and Madhes. 

However, locals are disappointed due to the delay in the construction of the bridge. 

Shalikram Banjara, Chairman of Barahpokhari Rural Municipality, said that there was still no motorable bridge in Dhaplangghat.

Former Prime Minister and Nepali Congress president Sher Bahadur Deuba laid the foundation stone of the 200-metre-long motorable bridge on September 17, 2019. 

The contract was signed to complete the bridge for Rs. 225 million, excluding VAT.