NAWALPARASI: Road safety works have begun in sections where construction has already been completed under the Narayangadh–Butwal Road Expansion Project.
According to Shiva Khanal, Information Officer of the project’s eastern section, road safety activities are currently underway in completed stretches of the eastern section.
The safety works include painting white and yellow road markings, marking the central divider, installing cement barriers between the main road and service lanes, and placing speed limit signs. Similarly, installation of roadside railings, W-beams, and delineator posts is also in progress.
As construction work approaches its final stage, greater priority has been given to road safety measures, Information Officer Khanal said. “Most of the construction work has reached its final phase, and we are carrying out road safety works accordingly,” he added.
According to Khanal, out of the 65 km stretch in the eastern section of Nawalparasi, only about seven kilometres remain unpaved. Blacktopped and paved sections have already been opened for traffic. He said physical progress in the eastern section has reached 81 percent, and travel has become easier in most areas except the Daunne section.
The Narayangadh–Butwal road expansion project was initiated by China State Construction Engineering Corporation Ltd. following an agreement signed in 2019, with an initial completion deadline of 2022. The 113 km project has been divided into two sections for implementation.
As the work could not be completed on time, the deadline has been extended for the fourth time, now up to next Shrawan. The project, being implemented with loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), has a total cost of Rs 16.99 billion.
Of the total 113 km, 70 km will feature four-lane roads, while another 29 km will also be expanded into four lanes with six-metre service lanes on both sides. A three-lane road will be constructed along the 14 km Daunne section.
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