Negligence at Gwarko Overpass

Lalitpur, March 14: The wall on the Satdobato side of the Gwarko intersection overpass under construction on Lalitpur’s Ring Road has been demolished due to the negligence of the concerned authorities and the contractor company.

The wall, measuring 33 meters on the right side and 40 meters on the left from the Gwarko intersection to Satdobato, had to be demolished due to construction errors. It appears that the Department of Roads only noticed the cracks in the wall after they had become significant.

The wall along both sides of the project up to 40 meters on the Satdobato side has been removed, and the soil deposited there has been excavated. The wall installation work of the overpass, which had reached its final stage, was completed last January.

Reinstalling the wall and covering it with soil will further delay the already delayed project. The project’s physical and financial progress had reached 82% and 48%, respectively, but due to the demolition, the physical progress has now gone into the negative. The panels used for constructing the wall were designed to lock together, but the project has now missed its initial completion date of January 8. The contractor company is currently working under penalty conditions. The overpass is being built under the supervision of the Quality Research and Development Center of the Road Department.

Engineer Bikram Poudel of the center stated that the technical error observed during construction was addressed by removing the wall and the soil deposited there. He explained, “When the wall was installed and covered with soil, the joints expanded, and the panels started to crack due to a technical fault, which could lead to a major accident at any time.” Cracks were observed at the joint points of the panels, causing the entire wall to bend.

The weak soil at the base caused the panels’ joints to gradually crack. Engineer Poudel noted that this weakness was revealed in soil testing, with black soil used at the base. The overpass construction’s technical errors can’t be fixed by merely covering them with cement; they require reconstruction from the ground up.

According to the contract, the entire project should have been completed by February 22, 2080. When it wasn’t completed on time, the deadline was extended to January 8, 2081. However, even within this extended period, the work wasn’t finished, leading to the imposition of penalties on the contractor.

The overpass construction follows the Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) model, where the construction company is responsible for the design and commissioning of the overpass. According to this model, the construction company handles everything from design to procurement and construction.

Furthermore, the construction company is responsible for the overpass’s maintenance for the first five years after it becomes operational, known as the Defect Liability Period (DLP). During the DLP, the construction company must handle any necessary repairs and maintenance.

The four-lane overpass will allow the smooth flow of all types of vehicles. Once completed, vehicles on the Ring Road will pass over the overpass at Gwarko Chowk, while those coming from Patan and Gwarko will cross underneath. The total length of the overpass will be 455 meters, with a ground clearance of six meters and a height of 5.5 meters.

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