Bara, January 9 The contract for construction of the six-lane trade route linking Birgunj to Pathalaiya is expiring in five days. According to Trade Route Construction Project information Officer Ashok Yadav, the Road Department had signed contract with various construction companies with the stipulated deadline of 30 months. “The deadline of the contract is expiring in mid-January but so far only 50 per cent of the construction work has been completed,” said  Yadav. The work is being carried out dividing the road into six sections under different contractors. Tardy work is blamed for the inordinate delay in completion of the project. “The delay in road construction has also to do with lack of raw materials and lack of cooperation from locals,” said Yadav, adding that the contract would be extended in a few days. The road will be six-lane on its 27-km stretch from Pathalaiya to Parawanipur and four lane on the 4.24-km stretch from Parawanipur to Gandak. The expected cost of the project is around Rs 5.50 billion.