People in Samtse can expect a new bridge over the Dhamdum River between Samtse town and Majathang (Budhuney) by next year. The construction of the bridge is underway.
Dismantling of the old bridge started towards the end of last year. However, the Nu 141 M project was delayed due to the second nationwide lockdown.
“The project was tendered as design and build. Due to the lockdown, the design phase was delayed by a month. The design will be approved in the coming week. For now, we are constructing the foundation for the abutment,” said Ugyen Dorji, the Project Engineer for Rigsar Construction Pvt. Ltd.
An abutment is a structure built to support the lateral pressure of an arch or span at the ends of a bridge.
He added around 40 skilled expatriate workers would be brought in since the Bhutanese ones do not have any experience on bridge construction.
“It has been over a month since we put in an application to the immigration to bring in labourers. But all the hotels in Phuentshogling are full right now, so we have not been able to bring them in,” he added.
The company is hoping to complete the bridge by next summer, eight months before the project deadline.
Meanwhile, a new bridge over the Diana River in Norboogang Gewog is also in the pipeline.
The Kuenphen bridge or locally known as the Diana bridge in Norboogang will be replaced in a few years. Construction of a new bridge over the Diana River is expected to begin in May. The project is currently in the final design phase.
The current bailey suspension bridge, spanning at 320 meters, is the longest in the country. First completed in April 2003, the bridge has become structurally weak. Its loading capacity reduced to six metric tonnes last summer.
The new bridge will span 280 meters and will be constructed downstream from the current bridge’s location.
Sherub Dorji, Samtse
