The construction of a motorable bridge over the Karnali river in Hilsa, the Nepal-China border point in Humla district, is in the final stage. The authorities said construction works would be over in two weeks.

Once the bridge is ready for operation, Hilsa will connect China with Nepal. Hilsa is one of the six border points Nepal and China had agreed to open for international trade when former Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jibao visited Kathmandu in 2012.

Contractor Tej Bahadur Mahat said they were forced to halt works after China closed the Tatopani border in Sindhupalchok district after the devastating earthquakes last year. His company had started construction works four years ago. “We have speeded up works after construction materials reached Hilsa via the Kerung-Tibet route,” said Mahat.

The company had used materials transported through the Kerung border point. As there was no alternative, the Chinese government allowed Nepali authorities to ferry construction materials through Tibet.

Rajan Rawat, planning, evaluation and monitoring officer at the District Development Committee, said workers will complete the task within a week. “We are going to inaugurate the bridge within mid-July,” said Rawat, adding that vehicles could then go up to the border area.

Nepali vehicles that ply the Hilsa-Simkot stretch could not reach the border point due to the lack of bridge across the river. The road section is 38 kilometres long.

On the Nepal side, however, construction works of a Bailey bridge at Tumkot in Muchu VDC along the Karnali corridor has been left incomplete. The works have been abandoned after a dispute between the District Technical Office and the contractor. The DTO said they have no technicians to ferry construction materials and fix them. The materials required for the bridge had reached the Tatopani border in Sindhupalchok last year.