The Bhutanese Leading the way.
The motorists plying along the Thimphu-Semtokha highway, especially the Lungtenphu area, will be relieved to know that the Thimphu District Municipality (TDM) will start the road widening works after the monsoon season. As of now, TDM has deployed workers to maintain the road, to repair the numerous potholes and to clear the drains along the road.
The Assistant Engineer, Road Section, TDM, Oma Mahat, said there are about 23 workers deployed in the Lungtenphu area daily for potholes and drain maintenance.
She said that although there was a plan to resurface the road with blacktopping in Lungtenphu area last year, however, TDM kept the plan on hold as they decided to upgrade and widen the road in Lungtenphu area and construct a parking space for vehicles in that area.
“ If the road along Lungtenphu area is resurfaced then it will incur double expenditure because when (road) widening works are done, it will again destroy the road,” Oma Mahat said.
She said that the widening of the Lhungtenphu road is an immediate program and is due to start this year. A taxi driver, Sangay, said the road condition the Lungtenphu area is bad. He said the monsoon season makes the road condition worse with the numerous potholes dotting almost the whole stretch of the road. He said the chances of reckless driving are high as drivers who avoid driving over the potholes almost hit each other as the road is very small. He said that the road is in need of immediate maintenance works, like pothole repairs and resurfacing of the road.
A resident in Lungtenphu, Pema, said the road condition in Lungtenphu area is worsened by the overflow of the water from the drains during the rainy season. He said the pedestrians find it hard to walk along the flooded road caused by poor drainage network in the area. He said the road is far too narrow and congested for the traffic that flows through Lungtenphu. “If there is a good drainage network in this area then the potholes should not be a problem,” Pema added.
