Nearly a year after the ceremonial groundbreaking of the signature bridge over the Narayani River, construction has yet to begin.

Then prime minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal and minister for physical infrastructure and transport Raghubir Mahaseth performed the symbolic foundation-laying ceremony on May 14 last year at Narayanghat, but work has not commenced.

Krishna Acharya, spokesperson for the Bharatpur Division Road Office, stated that the bridge’s design is still being finalised. Chinese experts recently inspected the site, but no further progress has been made. Tundi Construction Pvt Ltd has been assigned to build the bridge and prepare the design.

Lalijan Khanal, head of the bridge division at the Department of Roads, confirmed that the design work is incomplete, making it unlikely that construction will start in the current fiscal year. Although the design is expected to be finalised soon, starting construction during the ongoing monsoon season is challenging.

Construction of the new bridge, which will connect Narayanghat and Gaindakot, is anticipated to begin only after the monsoon. The existing bridge on the Narayani River, inaugurated in 1981, will remain operational, and the new bridge, expected to be completed within four years.

The agreement for the bridge was signed on June 2, 2023, nearly a year before the groundbreaking, but construction has yet to begin.

The 420-metre-long bridge will feature two main pillars with a 210-metre span between them. It will be wider than the existing bridge, with a dual-lane design of 7.5 metres and a 3.5-metre sidewalk. The total cost of the bridge is Rs1.68 billion.

Designed with local features to reflect regional identity, the bridge aims to enhance the area’s infrastructure. The old bridge will remain in use, while the new structure will offer a modern and attractive design.

The new bridge will have six pillars, with two main central pillars and cable support on each side. Krishnaraj Adhikari, then senior divisional engineer of the bridge division, previously said that this design would be a first in Nepal. While the Chisapani bridge in Karnali River features a single-pylon cable-supported design, this bridge will have multiple pillars with added cable support.