Bridges on highways damaged by floods to be operational before Dashain: Department of Roads

The Department of Roads has said that bridges on major highways damaged by the ongoing continuous rain and floods will be repaired or rebuilt and made operational before Dashain.

According to data from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority, floods have damaged about 10 bridges nationwide, including local and motorable bridges.

The department's Bridge Division is prioritizing strategic and major highway bridges. Floods have damaged bridges at Pokhrebagar, Maldhunga and Dedhgaun along the Kaligandaki Corridor.

A technical team has been deployed to assess the condition of these bridges, and the department said a decision on whether to repair them or install Bailey bridges will be made after the assessment. Repair or Bailey bridge installation is also underway for damaged bridges on the Rasuwagadhi road section.

According to Lalijan Khanal, chief of the Bridge Division, work has been accelerated with the festival season in mind. The department aims to restore traffic before Dashain in areas where road access has already been reached.