Highest bridge in offing, raises safety concerns

BY THIRA L BHUSAL
KATHMANDU, Jan 4

Parbat district in the western region is likely to have the highest bridge -- and second longest at that -- of its type in the country. However, record-setting has also raised safety concerns.

The bridge will connect Kusma bazaar, district headquarters of Parbat to Katuwachaupari VDC.
The Ministry of Local Development (MoLD) is to start work on the bridge while the District Development Committee (DDC) Parbat has already done some preliminary work for it.

The suspension (trail) bridge to be built over the Madi river has its 116.67 meter free board height (that is the height from the level of water to the bridge's lowest level).

"This is the first suspension bridge (with no tower) with this much free board ever built in Nepal," said Engineer Badri Prasad Dhungel of Suspension Bridge Division under MoLD.

The length of the bridge is 344 meters, second only to the 350-meter-long Buwajor bridge that connects Khotang and Udaypur districts -- the longest in the country.

Senior experts and engineers have questioned its safety and utility given its height and length.
A senior engineer working with MoLD, preferring anonymity, said, "The relevance of its use may be questioned once it is constructed."

According to the expert, due to the height of the bridge, people may get dizzy and frightened.
Also, Dr Narendra Lal Joshi, a top expert in the sector, said that it might be problematic for some people. "Some may be frightened," he said.

However, engineer Dhungel claimed that it should not be a problem for locals in hilly areas. "We can see Nepali people crossing big rivers on cables by tying a rope on their waists. So, why can't people walk along a well-built bridge?," Dhungel argued.

Although the engineers interviewed about the bridge differed over the issue of utility, they agreed at least on one point: that making a bridge longer or higher does not itself imply that it becomes technically weak. "It can be equally sound in technical aspects if there is no defect in its design, materials, and construction process," Joshi said. Other engineers agreed.

The division has already undertaken designing of the bridge and is set to invite bids for construction.
The DDC -- which had previously tried to construct the bridge on its own -- requested the ministry to undertake the task only after it realized its complexity, officials said. The ministry is at the last stage of reaching agreement with a construction company.

Dhungel claimed that in view of the perilous location, the division has done good groundwork. "Five main cables of 40 mm diameter will be used on both the sides (5+5 cables) as that is a better arrangement to withstand heavy weight for such bridges," he said. "Likewise, 11 meter-long anchorage blocks will be at both ends," he added. Life-span of such a bridge is 50 years.

The location was chosen as it can directly connect district headquarters Kusma to villages including Katuwachaupari, Pipaltari, Arthur, Thulipokhari, Khaula, Shankarpokhari, Thapathana, Karkineta, Bicharichautara and other adjoining villages far from a road head, according to the division. The estimated budget for its construction is 7.2 million rupees, which is funded by the government itself.

Published in: The Kathmandu Post