Jongkhar highway to be upgraded in few years

Thimphu: The Trashigang-Samdrup Jongkhar highway will be upgraded in the next few years. The work will be taken up after the widening of the Thimphu-Paro highway and Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway are complete. Following the widening of the Paro-Thimphu highway and Thimphu-Phuentsholing highway, Project DANTAK will upgrade the Samdrup Jongkhar-Trashigang highway.

This was revealed by a DANTAK official in Samdrup Jongkhar. With the traffic increasing over the years, the Samdrup Jongkhar-Trashigang highway has suffered. Sections of the road are filled with potholes. The frequent landslides during monsoon have also taken their toll. Some of the taxi drivers said the road needs regular maintenance. Motorists said the stone quarries along the highway are also adding to the problem making the road vulnerable to landslides.

Motorists said at times they remain stranded on the road for days due to landslides. Meanwhile, Project DANTAK says improvement has been made in the last two years.

A DANTAK official said to reduce accidents, Project DANTAK has built crash barriers, florescent reflectors and road signs.

However, he said the signs are often being removed and taken away. This he said is common on the stretch between Kharungla and Khaling. The Trashigang- Samdrup Jongkhar highway was built in 1962.