DAMAULI: The second phase of blacktopping work has started in the Bagbazar area of Damauli Bazaar, the administrative center of Tanahun district, as part of the Muglin-Pokhara Road widening project. The latest phase of construction began on Friday after the completion of the first phase.

The initial blacktopping work was completed at key locations, including Safasadak Chowk and Tarkari Line Chowk in Damauli. Currently, one-way blacktopping is ongoing, according to Engineer Bishnu Prasad Pandey from the eastern section of the project.

While most parts of the eastern section are nearing completion, delays in removing houses and temporary structures in Damauli had slowed progress. Despite these setbacks, 82.95 percent of the work on this section has been completed so far.

To date, 33.56 kilometers of the four-lane section and 3.2 kilometers of the two-lane section have been fully blacktopped. Pandey noted that a total of 73.11 kilometers of two-lane blacktopping has been finished.

The project was awarded to China Communication Construction, with funding from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The road is being expanded into a four-lane highway to handle increasing traffic on the route, which was originally planned in 2026 BS. The contract is valued at Rs. 6.21 billion and 3.13 million.