Butwal, Sept. 22 -- Gorusinge road upgrade is running behind schedule, with physical progress at just 28 percent as the three-year construction deadline approaches.

The World Bank-supported project is intended to improve road safety and connectivity and reduce travel time along a key East-West Highway corridor.

But the project's slow pace has raised doubts about whether the 49-kilometre section of the East-West Highway can be completed on time. Only about a year remains before the project's contract expires.

"Work is under way, but looking at the time remaining and the progress achieved, it will be difficult to complete the project by the deadline," said Ashok Paudel, information officer of the Butwal-Gorusinge road project.

The contr...