Stalled Sunkoshi Bridges Leave Thousands Stranded Across Districts
Motorable bridges spanning the Sunkoshi River in Kavrepalanchok and Udayapur remain stranded after years of contractor delays, forcing tens of thousands of residents to endure hazardous detours and seasonal isolation.
Motorable bridge projects across the Sunkoshi River remain stalled for years due to contractor negligence and official delays, cutting off vital transport corridors and leaving tens of thousands of residents stranded across several districts in central and eastern Nepal.
In central Nepal, a motorable bridge over the Sunkoshi at Chehere—designed to connect Bhumlu Rural Municipality in Kavrepalanchok with neighbouring Sindhupalchok—remains in limbo six years after procurement began, according to reporting by Nagarik News, Setopati, and Deshsanchar. The Department of Roads awarded the Rs 11.07 crore contract (inclusive of value-added tax) to Amar Construction on August 26, 2020 (Bhadra 10, 2077 BS), setting an initial completion deadline of May 16, 2023 (Jeth 2, 2080 BS).
However, the contractor made little headway. Niroj Maharjan, an engineer at the Department of Roads, stated that the company repeatedly offered excuses to stall work, Nagarik News and Setopati reported. Although authorities approved a deadline extension of 23 months and 25 days on May 2, 2024 (Baisakh 20, 2081 BS), construction has barely progressed. Workers have erected only three pillars and completed a single span on the Kavrepalanchok side. Bhumlu Ward 1 Chairman Lekh Bahadur Shrestha noted that the missing link forces commuters to take a 15-kilometre detour rather than a direct four-kilometre journey. Lawmaker Badan Bhandari recently inspected the Chehere site and pledged to push for swift completion, Nagarik News and Deshsanchar reported.
Further east, another major bridge across the Sunkoshi connecting Ranitar in Udayapur's Chaudandigadhi Municipality-1 with Aamchok Rural Municipality-5 in Bhojpur has languished incomplete for nearly a decade, Nepal Samacharpatra reported. Former Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba laid the foundation stone in August 2017 (Bhadra 2074 BS) alongside an adjoining project at Dhaplang connecting Udayapur to Khotang. The contract for the Ranitar bridge, valued at Rs 22.35 crore (excluding VAT), was awarded to the Rasuwa Swachchhanda Pappu joint venture.
According to Navin Kumar Sah, information officer at the Dharan Bridge Sector Office, required alterations to the original bridge design initially stalled progress, though work has since remained largely abandoned. Local resident Nir Bahadur Rai said the missing crossing leaves southern Bhojpur disconnected during the monsoon, forcing porters to haul essentials such as rice and construction supplies over a footbridge. In dry months, vehicles depend on an unpredictable river ferry. Chaudandigadhi Ward 1 Chairman Sitaram Rai told Nepal Samacharpatra that completing the crossing is essential to connect roughly 30,000 residents with eastern commercial centres including Dharan, Itahari, and Biratnagar.