Kathmandu Metropolitan City (KMC) and Department of Roads (DoR) will construct 14 moveable iron-rod sky-ridges in the city this fiscal year.

This decision bids to address the difficulties faced by the pedestrians due to increasing traffic congestion in the metropolis.

KMC plans to construct ten overhead bridges. The metropolis has allocated Rs 120 million to construct these bridges. The DoR has allocated Rs 20 million to construct four such overhead bridges.

The metropolis will install the new bridges in Teku Bhansar, Tripureshwor, Putalisadak, Gausala, Maharajgung, Kalopul, and Kalimati.

The DoR will construct four structural steel pedestrian bridges in New Baneshwor, Babarmahal, Maitighar and Koteshwor.

“It will take maximum seven months,” said Arjun Jung Thapa, Director General at the Department of Bridge under DoR.   

The KMC has already installed such steel sky-bridge linking Old Bus Park and Khulla Manch. This has been in operation for over five years.

The metropolis had spent three million to construct the bridge. “These are low budget bridges, the new ones will even cost less.  These bridges can be transferred to any place because they are sustained on concrete pillars joining the two sides with iron and steel structures. If we have to add more infrastructures on the roadside they can be removed or transferred to any other place,” said Karki.

The overhead bridge in Kalanki was demolished two years ago to widen 10.5km Kalanki-Koteshwor road section. The overhead bridge was constructed with Rs 130 million.

At present, the metropolis has a dozen of overhead bridges that were built between 1998 and 2000 in New Road, Sahid Gate, Bir Hospital, Sundhara, Jamal, Ratnapark-Bhotahati, Bagbazar, and Bhadrakali. These bridges developed cracks at numerous places and the iron rods that supported the structures developed rust because of lack of maintenance for nearly two decades.

The metropolis carried out maintenance work on a few of the bridges after the Post published a report last December exposing ‘how the old bridges have become a recipe for disaster for the public’.