November 4: The Department of Roads has started preparations for upgrading the Kalanki-Chabahil section of Ring Road into eight lanes. The road section is being upgraded under the second phase of Ring Road Development Project with the support from the Chinese government.

The government has already upgraded Koteshwar-Kalanki section of Ring Road with the support from the Chinese government in the first phase. China’s Shanghai Construction Group had bagged the contract to expand the road section. The same construction company will complete upgrading the remaining parts of the Ring Road.

The Detailed Project Report of the project is almost complete and the Chinese company will hand over the DPR to the government after ‘site clearance’, informed Keshav Sharma, director general of the Department of Roads.

According to Sharma, the department is preparing to cut trees, shift poles and dismantle bridges and houses that fall on the route. He said that the process of felling trees and shifting electricity poles has already begun.

In course of site clearance, the department has already shifted 500 poles and cut down 300 trees, the department informed. Altogether 2100 trees need to be cut to widen the road.

As per the plan, the road will be 62 metres wide.

The Ring Road Development Project will give compensation to 50 houses and dismantle the structures, said project chief Amrit Mani Rimal.

The total cost of site clearance is estimated to be Rs 3 billion including Rs 1.5 billion for compensation.

The department informed New Business Age that a section of Nepalese Army barracks in Sitapaila and the overhead bridge at New Bus Park area.

The department is not clear on whether to expand the road from Chabahil to Gaushala as the road section has lots of houses. Expanding the road would also endanger some ancient structures that fall in the World Heritage Site.