MUSTANG: The Beni–Jomsom–Korala Road Project under the Kaligandaki Corridor has begun upgrading the Jomsom–Kagbeni section of the north-south Korola road.
The project has started upgrading the nine-kilometer Jomsom–Kagbeni road section at a cost of around Rs 70 million under the annual contract agreement.
The upgrade began after the blacktopped Jomsom–Kagbeni road, part of the first section under the Jomsom–Korala segment completed before 2076 BS under the national pride Korala Road Project, suffered partial structural damage due to rain, landslides, and other natural causes.
The road collapsed in some places during the month of Shrawan last year, while in other areas, the structure was damaged due to the absence of protective infrastructure such as drains and roadbeds.
According to Korala Road Project Chief Tejaswi Sharma, a contract worth around Rs 70 million has been signed for the upgrade of the Jomsom–Kagbeni road connecting the Korala checkpoint and Muktinath, and work has already begun.
He said the agreement was signed to protect and upgrade the blacktopped Jomsom–Kagbeni road to ensure the long-term sustainability of the road connecting Korala. The work is already underway. According to Sharma, Kalimata–Thapakaji–Rasuwa JV Construction has secured the contract for the road upgrade.
The contract agreement was signed in Baisakh of the current fiscal year, and upgrade work on the Jomsom–Kagbeni road began in the first week of Jestha, informed construction company site in-charge Sitaram Thapa.
He stated that the project, which has a contract period of four months, is expected to be completed by September. He added that the upgrade work has started from Kagbeni.
The project office stated that construction along the nine-kilometer Jomsom–Kagbeni section will include 1,800 cubic meters of gabion wall, 3,500 cubic meters of masonry wall, 200 cubic meters of plum concrete, and 900 cubic meters of RCC slope protection.
A gabion wall will be installed about one kilometer above Jomsom in areas damaged by rainfall. RCC slope protection will also be installed near the bridge on the northern side of the Pandakhola bridge along the Jomsom–Kagbeni section. In addition, drains and masonry retaining walls will be constructed in areas lacking proper drainage and slope protection, according to site in-charge Thapa.
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