BHADRAPUR: The expansion and upgrading of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi section of the East-West Highway is gaining momentum with support from a Rs 46 billion loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).
The project covers a total length of 95 kilometers and has been divided into two sections: the eastern section, stretching 45 kilometers from Kakarbhitta to Sitapuri in Jhapa, and the western section, covering 50 kilometers from Sitapuri to Labipur in Sunsari.
According to the latest progress report, the first package (Kakarbhitta-Sitapuri) has achieved 47 percent physical progress, while the second package (Sitapuri-Gothgaon) has reached 42 percent and the third package (Gothgaon-Labipur) has reached 19 percent completion.
Sunil Babu Pant, chief of the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi Road Project’s eastern section, said the initial phase of blacktopping has been completed along 16.5 kilometers of the road.
The construction team has set a target of blacktopping 400 to 800 meters of road daily, or around seven kilometers per week, depending on weather conditions. The project aims to complete blacktopping of an additional 15 kilometers by October, as adequate quantities of bitumen are available. Despite delays caused by the monsoon season, construction work has continued.
Launched in January 2024, the project is scheduled for completion by February 1, 2027. The expansion work is being carried out simultaneously on both sides of the highway, including the construction of a three-meter-wide road divider.
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