KATHMANDU: The major Koteshwar-Kalanki road portion is experiencing increasing traffic congestion due to the four-month delay in the construction of a four-lane flyover project at the Gwarko intersection in Lalitpur. The important project, which started in February 2022, has been significantly delayed due to technical problems and the effects of the monsoon season, which has left passengers more and more irate.

The Quality Research and Development Center of the Department of Roads reported that building was halted during the last week of May due to the arrival of monsoon rains. These rains have hampered important tasks, including filling the ramp with a gravel-soil mixture. Director Prabhat Kumar Jha states that although major construction work is not expected to commence until after the Dashain vacation, the erection of parapet walls has resumed.

The project's original completion date was set for February 2024. However, this schedule has been further pushed back due to continued delays associated with design revisions. The project's contractor, Ashish-Samanantar-Religare JV, ran into design problems that caused a 13-month work suspension and complicated the flyover's overall progress.

Project Manager Bishal Karki from Ashish-Samanantar-Religare JV revealed that approximately Rs 440 million has already been expended, surpassing the contract’s initial value of Rs 176 million. Karki attributed these financial strains to the Department of Roads, which he claims underestimated costs and necessitated late-stage design modifications, ultimately causing substantial delays.

Karki elucidated that the project is distinct and intricate, and the department's cost estimate served as the foundation for the bidding procedure. He emphasized that the failure to consider a number of crucial aspects resulted in costly design adjustments. The contractor has made an effort to finish the project in spite of the financial losses.

Currently, around 80% of the actual construction is finished. The ramp is anticipated to be 10.2 meters high and strengthened with polymer materials. But since the monsoon season is still going strong, it's expected that the remaining work won't start up until after the Dashain festival. The anticipated completion date has been further pushed to December by this prolongation.

Jha has promised that all work will be finished by December and has made it clear that the contractor will be penalized if any more work is delayed past this date. The project's importance in resolving the area's traffic problems has the authorities eager to see it through.

Upon completion, the flyover is anticipated to greatly reduce traffic on the Koteshwar-Kalanki road, enhancing thousands of drivers' everyday commutes. However, because of the current construction difficulties, commuters will have to put up with substantial delays and annoyance until then.

The Gwarko flyover's construction hold-up is a prime example of the intricacies and complications that frequently arise in major infrastructure projects, especially when confronted with unforeseen obstacles like bad weather and design flaws.