BHOJPUR: Excitement has grown among the local residents as the construction of a concrete bridge has commenced over the Thumlung Khola along the Tenzing-Hillary Highway in Bhojpur.

According to the Infrastructure Development Office, 55 percent of the work on the bridge, located in Salpasilichho Rural Municipality-6, has been completed so far.

Local resident Khagendra Rai stated that this bridge is being viewed as a long-term solution for locals who have had to cross the river under risky conditions for years.

According to him, traveling became hazardous particularly during the monsoon season when the water flow in the river increased.

“Due to the lack of a bridge, there were problems with everything from transporting food items to daily commuting. Now, we hope it will be much easier once the bridge is built,” he said.

According to Rajan Raj Reddy, chief of the Infrastructure Development Office, the bridge is being constructed at a cost of approximately Rs. 49,445,456 funded by the Koshi Province Government. Various structural components, including the pillars, have been completed so far.

He informed that the single-span bridge will be 35 meters long and 8.4 meters wide, including footpaths. Chief Reddy expressed confidence that the bridge, which is being built using ‘Open Foundation technology’, will directly benefit the residents of Salpasilichho Rural Municipality and Shadananda Municipality.

Previously, the absence of a bridge created travel difficulties for students, senior citizens, the sick, and pregnant women, alongside hardships in transporting daily consumer goods.

Local resident Dilliram Basnet mentioned that daily life used to be severely disrupted during the monsoon when the river became completely uncrossable.

He expressed confidence that once the bridge is completed, it will ease the commercialization of local agricultural produce and smoothen trade and business.

The contract for the bridge was signed in September-October 2025, and the deadline is set for completion by September – October 2027. The construction responsibility has been taken up by Kosheli-Naulakha-Jai Govinda JV.