Hydrong Bridge that would connect Taba with Pamtsho in Thimphu was completed and handed over to the Thimphu thromde, but the residents expressed disappointment over thromde for not completing the approach road on time.

Without the approach road, the arch slab bridge remains idle.

A resident said the road construction should have started simultaneously by the thromde and completed with the bridge.

The 35-metre, 70-tonnes capacity bridge, which was constructed by Construction Development Corporation Limited (CDCL), was handed over to the thromde on July 17. The Government of India funded the 40 million  bridge.

The CDCL would blacktop the bridge after the completion of approach road and open it to the traffic.

According to deputy executive engineer Ngawang Tashi, thromde started the construction of approach road from first week of July and is expected to be completed by August end.

Ngawang Tashi said that although the work is going on, the progress is being hampered because of continuous rainfall.

He said the 200-metre road, which was not included in the initial plan, was earlier proposed to World Bank (WB) owing to huge cost involved. Later, the thromde decided to take it departmentally.

“Since the WB would require longer time to process the proposal and to approve, the thromde decided to construct the road departmentally based on the priority,” Ngawang Tashi said. “We would construct only the road and later request WB to carry out the permanent works, including the blacktopping.”

The road is expected to cost about Nu five million.

Once completed, the road is expected to decongest traffic in and around Taba, Langjophaka, and Dechencholing.

“There is a plan to open workshops near the bridge in the future, which would help the residents of this area who will not have to travel all the way to Olokha workshop,” Ngawang Tashi said. “Since population is expected to increase in the area of Taba with developing activities, the road and bridge would immensely helpful.”

Yangchen C Rinzin

Advertisement