To improve the road conditions in the city, Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay launched Thimphu roads improvement project yesterday.

The project aims at improving about 70 percent of the existing roads in the city. The works and human settlement ministry in consultation with Thimphu thromde have identified the road stretches to be covered by the project.

Of the total USD 5.11million (M) cost for the project, the government received a grant of USD 4.26M from Asian Development Bank (ADB). The government will contribute USD 0.85M.

Lyonchhen Tshering Tobgay said he is concerned about the road condition in the city and it is important for people to know that a huge amount is spent to repair the roads, so that everyone will be responsible and take care of the roads.

Thimphu thrompon Kinlay Dorjee said the project’s outputs would include repair, resurfacing, and improvement of roads, repairing of the existing drains and footpaths, constructions of new drains and footpaths along the designated roads.

The project will improve 32.99 kms of urban roads; construct 9.15 kms of drainage and 4.83 kms of footpaths by 2018. The project will also widen 3.54 km of urban roads and improve 4,239 sq metres of parking space. The road improvements will cover the southern and northern local area plans (LAPs) and the centre of the city.

The project consists of two packages. Package I is divided into four lots and awarded to four contractors.

Motithang and the core city areas fall in lot I, while Samtenling, Chubachu and Centenary Farmer’s Market areas fall in lot II, Changangkha and Changzamtok areas in lot III and Lungtengphu, Simtokha and Babesa LAP areas in lot IV.

The contract duration for all lots is 18 months starting March this year. Package 2 includes road improvement from Yangchenphug Higher Secondary School to Simtokha mani dungkhor.

Lyonchhen said the government will strictly monitor the quality of the work and urged the contractors not to compromise the quality of the work and the engineers to monitor the works strictly.

He also urged communities to support the work by not complaining of the works causing inconvenience after the work starts. “This will hamper the quality of the work.”

There are more than 250kms road in the city.

Dechen Tshomo