The much delayed Rafey-Khoshala bypass in Langthil Gewog of Trongsa is finally set to open to traffic by the end of next month.
The construction of the bridge at Yumrung delayed the opening of the 16-kilometre bypass. Today, the bridge is about 90 per cent complete.
It is expected to take about two to three weeks more for the remaining works.
“There are two bridges on the bypass. The construction of the bridge at Dangdung village is already complete. And now we are working on Yurmung Bridge. It is scheduled to be complete by the end of April. Soon after that, the road will be open to vehicular traffic,” Ugyen Dorji, the Chief Engineer of Department of Roads in Trongsa, said.
Once the bypass opens, the travel time between Trongsa and Zhemgang would be cut short by about an hour and a half and the commuters will not have to take the present route via Langthil town.
The bypass construction began in 2012.
Meanwhile, works are also underway to maintain the existing route. The Mangdechhu Hydropower Project Authority (MHPA) handed over about Nu 65 M for the works to the Department of Roads (DoR) office in Trongsa last year.