The Trongsa-Zhemgang highway will be shortened by about 17 kilometres once the bypass from Refey-Khosela road construction is complete. About 70 percent of the work has been completed. And most of the road has been blacktopped. It is scheduled to open to traffic by mid of 2015.
Officials, however, said that the construction got delayed since they confronted several obstacles.
“We expected to complete within the 10th Five Year Plan. But, there were problems in between. We came across a huge rock and it was difficult clearing it because there are human settlements below,” said Letho, an engineer with the roads department.
While the bypass road will cut short the travelling distance but the shopkeepers in Langthil are worried that it might affect their businesses.