Construction is gaining pace on a pedestrian overpass in front of the Kathmandu District Court in Babarmahal, Kathmandu.

The footbridge is being built along the Maitighar– New Baneshwar road section, where growing traffic has made crossing the busy street increasingly risky.

A large number of pedestrians currently cross the road at the zebra crossing outside the district court. With no footbridge in place, they are often forced to weave through heavy traffic to get to the other side.

Although construction began about a year ago, work has accelerated in recent weeks. Workers are currently assembling the structure, installing steel components and carrying out other construction work.

A similar pedestrian overpass is also being built in the Shantinagar area, another busy stretch with heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. The government has allocated funds for the two projects to improve pedestrian safety and ease traffic movement.

The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has allocated Rs25 million for the overpass in Babarmahal under the strategic road programme, and Rs40 million for another overpass in the Shantinagar area.

Once completed, the overpasses are expected to provide pedestrians with a safer way to cross busy roads while helping traffic move more smoothly.