Kathmandu: A bailey bridge has been constructed over the Puwa Khola, located on the Kechana-Kanchanjunga (Mechi Corridor) road, effectively connecting Ilam headquarters to Birtamod in Jhapa. This development offers a shorter and safer travel route on the Jhapa-Ilam-Panchthar-Taplejung corridor.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the newly completed 48.6-meter-long bailey bridge was built at a cost of Rs 13.5 million, funded by the federal government. Engineer Arjun Ghimire, the Information Officer of the Road Division in Ilam, highlighted that this is the first bailey bridge over Puwa Khola, linking Ilam Municipality-9 and 11.
With the new bridge operational, travelers can now reach Birtamod in Jhapa by covering a distance of just 47 kilometers via the Kechana-Kanchanjunga road directly from the Golakharka section of the Mechi Highway. Previously, the journey to Birtamod required traversing 83 kilometers on the Mechi Highway.
Chief Engineer Pawan Bhattarai of the Road Division reported that 15 kilometers of the road have already been blacktopped in the Mai Municipality area of the Ilam section. Out of the remaining 17 kilometers, 14 kilometers are currently under construction.