BAGLUNG: More than 100 suspension bridges in Baglung district have fallen into disuse, largely due to the expansion of road networks and the construction of concrete motorable bridges.
It has been only seven years since a steel suspension bridge was built over the Dudiyakhola River to connect Bhimpokhara in Kathekhola Rural Municipality-2 with Tangram in Ward No. 4. At the time, locals welcomed the replacement of the old wooden bridge at Dudiyaghat.
However, frequent disruptions to vehicle movement during the monsoon, caused by rising river levels, led the Gandaki Province government to construct a motorable bridge at a cost of Rs 36.22 million. Since then, the adjacent suspension bridge has remained unused.
Similar cases can be seen across the district. Many suspension bridges have been abandoned after the construction of concrete bridges and the expansion of road access.
In Kathekhola Rural Municipality alone, three concrete bridges have been built in the past three years by the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure, Urban Development and Transport Management, rendering nearby suspension bridges obsolete.
A suspension bridge built just three years ago in Lamabagar at a cost of Rs 33.1 million—linking Binhu (Ward No. 6) and Bhimpokhara (Ward No. 2)—has already fallen into disuse.
Vice-chairperson of Kathekhola Rural Municipality, Tilak Thapa, said that bridges once considered essential are now redundant. “In recent years, multiple concrete bridges have been constructed, and as a result, nearby suspension bridges are no longer in use,” he said.
“Earlier, people used suspension bridges while vehicles crossed through the river. Now, with motorable bridges in place, those suspension bridges have lost their relevance.” He added that the rural municipality is considering relocating some of these structures to areas where they may still be useful.
More than a dozen suspension bridges along the Baglung section of the Mid-Hill Pushpalal Highway have also fallen into disrepair following the construction of concrete bridges.
For instance, after a motorable bridge was built over the Giringdikhola ravine along the border of Galkot Municipality-11, Righa, and Badigad Rural Municipality, locals stopped using the nearby suspension bridge, which has since deteriorated, with its beams beginning to rust.
Local resident Naveen Rana said that at least 10 suspension bridges have been displaced due to the construction of around a dozen concrete bridges along the Mid-Hill Pushpalal Highway in the district.
Baglung currently has more than 500 suspension bridges, many of which now face an uncertain future as infrastructure development shifts toward motorable connectivity.
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