CHITWAN: The Narayangadh-Muglin road section will be blocked for six hours a day from next week in order to accelerate the road widening and upgrade project.

Currently, vehicles are not allowed to enter the road between 10:30 am and 3 pm from both the ends.

From next week, the entry points will be opened before 10 am and after 4 pm only.

So far around 41 per cent work has been done. The main structural roadworks, including cutting the high face of rock and widening, need to be completed before the onset of monsoon.

Though closed for four-and-half hours every day, the project work did not take a pace as vehicles that entered at 10:30 am take an hour to cross the road-section and another hour is spent clearing the debris after some work, according to Engineer Shiva Khanal of the Narayangadh-Muglin road expansion project.

He said the six-hour obstruction will provide four hours for the project work.

Chitwan's Chief District Officer Narayan Prasad Bhatta said the decision was taken to complete the main structural work of the project by May to prevent any obstruction in the road run during monsoon.

CDO Bhatta said the contractors will increase manpower and equipment for the project.

The road-section has been divided into three sectors and contract has been been awarded to different companies.

As per the contract, the entire project had to be completed by April. However, only 41 per cent work has been done so far.

The contractors have sought more time, claiming that the April 2015 earthquake and the Nepal-India border blockade delayed the project.

The extended deadline of the project is mid-November.