Much to the relief of heavy vehicle drivers in Samtse, the construction of a more reliable bridge is underway over the Diana River along the Samtse – Sibsoo Secondary National Highway under Norboogang Gewog. It will replace the current bailey suspension bridge that provides a passage only to light vehicles.
The Kuenphen Bridge, locally known as Diana Bridge has a load-carrying capacity of only six metric tonnes. This means heavy vehicles can’t go through the bridge. During dry seasons, vehicles manage to cross the river. However, as per the local drivers, situations get worse during monsoon.
One of the truck drivers, Dipen Raj Subba, said the river is dry at this time of the year but it is still difficult to cross.
“During summer, the river swells and the situation become unimaginable. We don’t get work for months after that,” he added.
However, it won’t be long before the inconvenience is solved. A private construction company is executing the construction of a 280-meter-long two-lane bridge. It began last month and is scheduled to complete by 2024. But the contractor plans to finish the work before the deadline.
NorboogangGup, KingaWangdi, said that once the construction works are complete, it will ease their problems, especially during monsoon.
“Now, with the new bridge, we are hopeful that the shortage of cooking gas and fuel in TashichhoelingDungkhag will also be solved,” the gup added.
The Government of India is funding Nu 196 M for the project.
Passang Dorji
Edited by Chayku
