Infrastructure
Construction work on Godavari Road has been going on for about six years. The Kathmandu Valley Road Expansion Project has revealed that some sections of the route are among the narrowest paved roads in the valley.
The project under the Department of Roads awarded the contract to Ashish CM and Lama JV for the construction of the 7.6 km road in June 2016.
Project's Information Officer Mahanand Joshi said they were coordinating with the ward office concerned to complete the construction works from the Hattiban Karmanash River to the Godavari pond.
Following a recent commitment from the ward chairman in Harisiddhi to help out with the project, Joshi expressed belief the remaining road work would soon be completed. A road stretch of about 200 metres remains to be paved, he said, "Once that is done, the project will be completed."
The original contract called for a blacktop after widening the narrow section of the road, but the expansion work hit a roadblock.
According to a provision of the contract, the builder is required to widen the road to 20 metres. But blacktopping is taking place with an expansion of no more than five metres. Some stretches of road are only wide enough for one vehicle.
According to Joshi, the turning near Harisiddhi is the narrowest stretch which less than five metres wide. But the expansion was not possible around the tight section due to the presence of old homes and temples.
Following the government go-ahead to finish the project, the remaining roadwork is being completed using the space that is now available.
Long construction delays have caused hardships to the local populace in the Lalitpur Metropolitan City and Godavari Municipality. The road expansion began six years ago and was held up due to legal disputes in the early years. The construction started three years ago after the government decided to build on the available width.
As the road could not be widened to 20 metres, public representatives, local residents, and the project agreed to keep it at 16 metres. However, local landowners refused to contribute land for the road, causing further delays. As a result, the width of the final 3.5-km section up to Godavari has been maintained at 16 metres.
The construction delay has also affected visitors to the botanical garden and its natural beauty. Besides, frequent traffic congestion on the route put a damper on the recently constructed international conference centre's plans to attract large-scale events.
A section of the 7.6 km road expansion project between the Karmanash River and Harisiddhi lies in the Lalitpur Metropolitan City, and the other half lies between Thaiba and Godavari boroughs in the Godavari Municipality.
