Choki Wangmo | Dagana

After years of delay, the 80.58kms Dagapela-Dalbari secondary national highway would be finally completed by June end.

According to the project coordinator, Pema Thinley, 98 percent of the works is complete.

“Except for side drain construction, works and construction of four bridges in Gesarling, Sisithangkhola, Samarchhu, and Nirkhola is complete,” he said.

However, a bypass construction is ongoing at Kumlung. A bailey bridge construction is expected to complete by second week of July.

Until bypass construction is completed, commuters can use an old road.

The highway construction was supposed to complete by December 2019, but the Ministry of Works and Human Settlement (MoWHS) took it over after contractors failed to complete the work.

The project started in 2014. After two years of halting the construction works due to procurement issues, it resumed in 2017.

The road, which passes through Tsendagang, Goshi, Dorona, Gesarling, and Karmaling in Dagana is expected to benefit the people of Dagana and Tsirang and reduce travel time to Lhamoidzingkha and Phuentsholing.

Although the bridge constructions are not completed, the road is open to traffic. Vehicles are directed through alternate routes. Most of the vehicles plying by are pick-up trucks.

Meanwhile, the Netherlands’ Facility for Infrastructure Development and the government are funding the Nu 1.4B project.