KATHMANDU: Chinese company M/S Anhui Xinjiang Holding Group has won the contract to construct the proposed signature bridge over the Tinau River along the Butwal-Gorusinge-Chandrauta section of the East-West Highway.
The company secured the contract at Rs. 1.705 billion, including VAT and provisional sums, after outbidding five other companies. The Department of Roads had estimated the project cost at around Rs. 2 billion.
According to the Development Assistance Implementation Division under the Department of Roads, six companies were shortlisted after the technical evaluation. Anhui Xinjiang Holding Group scored the highest combined technical and financial evaluation score of 98.16 points.
The bridge will be constructed under a design-and-build model, under which the contractor will be responsible for the detailed design as well as construction. The Department of Roads has already completed the preliminary study and architectural design concept for the project.
The contractor is required to complete the bridge within three years, by the third quarter of 2029. It will also be responsible for maintenance of the bridge for five years after construction.
According to project director Arjun Prasad Aryal, the existing Tinau bridge will remain in place while two new bridges, each with two lanes on either side, will be constructed alongside it. The new bridge will be around 230 to 240 meters long.
The project also includes the construction of around 980 meters of approach roads and footpaths.
The existing Tinau bridge was constructed in 1981 and has become narrow and increasingly deteriorated with age. The new signature bridge is expected to improve the safety and movement of vehicles along the East-West Highway.
The government had announced plans in the previous fiscal year’s budget to move ahead with signature bridge projects over the Narayani and Tinau rivers. Construction of the Narayani signature bridge is already underway after the contract was awarded.
