Kathmandu, June 20: The Gwarko flyover in Lalitpur will open for traffic today. It took four years to be built. Secretary of the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Keshav Sharma, confirmed that Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli will inaugurate the overpass Friday afternoon, officially bringing it into use.
The Quality Research and Development Centre under the Department of Roads stated that the contractor, Ashish Samanantar Religate Company, formally informed the centre last Sunday that the construction is complete. So far, 46% of the Rs. 176 million contract has been paid, with the remaining amount to be released after final verification of documents.
This overpass is a milestone in Nepal’s infrastructure as the first overhead bridge of its kind in the country. Until now, the only comparable structure was the underpass at Kalanki within the Ring Road section.
Secretary Sharma mentioned plans for another overpass within the Ring Road in fiscal year 2082/83, possibly at Satdobato or Ekantakuna. “If the Finance Ministry allocates the required resources, we aim to move forward in the next fiscal year, likely issuing the tender then,” he said.
As Nepal’s first overpass project, officials acknowledged that there was some initial confusion during its execution. However, the contractor has now completed all key components, including traffic signals, road markings, signage, and drainage, making it ready for use by Thursday.
The Gwarko overpass stretches 320 meters toward Koteshwor and 180 meters toward Satdobato, featuring a central four-lane bridge 35 meters long.
Construction began on Poush 9, with a deadline of Poush 8 the following year. After missing the deadline, the contractor was fined Rs. 85,000 daily—0.05% of the total contract. Officials noted that work sped up considerably once penalties took effect.
While imposing the fine, the government also revised the 14th amendment to Public Procurement Regulations, allowing deadline extensions for ongoing projects. The contract for the Gwarko Overpass was signed on February 12, 2078, for Rs. 176 million.
People's News Monitoring Service