The newly completed 10.5km Kalanki-Koteshwor section of the Ring Road in Kathmand, upgraded by the Chinese government, was handed over to the government of Nepal on Monday.

Road expansion works, started by the Shanghai Construction Group Co Ltd in 2013, were delayed due to the 2015 earthquakes, the subsequent economic blockade imposed by India, delays in removing utility lines, and occasional shortages of constructional materials.

As a result, the project completion deadline was extended initially till July, 2018, and later to mid-December of 2018. However, urban planning experts have time and again voiced their concerns regarding pedestrian safety on the highway, as there aren’t enough zebra crossings and overpasses for people to cross the road.

The original plan to accommodate a bicycle lane was also not implemented in the final plan, which has become a cause of concern for people. According to Metropolitan Traffic Police Range, Lalitpur, nine people have died and 72 have been injured on this stretch of the Ring Road between July and November 2018.