About 223 private land plots and 69 structures belonging to around 20 households will be affected by the Gelephu–Tareythang Road and Bridges Project, with the government set to acquire approximately 4,670 decimals of land for the strategic road link.
The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport (MoIT) disclosed the figures during the 31st Meet the Press on Friday (September 11, 2026), saying the assessment of affected land and other assets, along with applicable compensation, is still being finalised.
The project forms part of the Southern East-West Highway and is being implemented with support from the World Bank-funded Accelerating Transport and Trade Connectivity in Eastern South Asia (ACCESS) Bhutan Project. It has an estimated budget of USD 233.35 million, or about Nu 20.39 billion.
MoIT minister Chandra Bdr. Gurung said a new greenfield alignment for the Tareythang segment had been finalised over the past three months, reducing the overall road length from 14.1km to 12.6km.
The revised alignment has also reduced the planned dual-lane carriageway widening in the Tareythang segment from 3.9km to 2.4km, cutting 1.5km from the original proposal. However, the approximately four-kilometre four-lane carriageway between Gelephu and Chhuzanggang remains unchanged.
Despite the shorter alignment, the number of bridges has increased from five to six following the finalisation of the new alignment and bridge arrangements.
The project will require land in Namkhaling, Chhuzanggang, Umling and Tareythang, making land acquisition and compensation one of the key steps before construction can begin.
The minister said the compensation process would start only after the land acquisition documents are finalised and cleared by the government and the World Bank.
“Compensation process for affected land and assets will begin after the land acquisition documents are finalised and cleared by the Government and the World Bank,” he said.
Under the project’s resettlement process, details of the final land acquisition requirements, affected assets and compensation will be publicly disclosed to affected communities and the wider public through appropriate channels, including stakeholder consultations.
The government intends to complete compensation before construction begins.
Meanwhile, detailed engineering design is targeted for completion by December this year, with construction still scheduled to start in June 2027.
The Department of Surface Transport is also undertaking prequalification of contractors. Prequalification documents have been issued to both national and international contractors, a process intended to reduce procurement time before the main construction bidding stage. The submission deadline has been set for October 2026.
The project is considered strategically important as it will strengthen connectivity between the Southern East-West Highway and Gelephu Mindfulness City (GMC), linking the emerging city with major planned infrastructure, including its international airport, railway and dry port.
One of its most significant structures will be the approximately one-kilometre Mau River Bridge, designed as a four-lane dual-carriageway bridge.
The bridge will cross the Mau River floodplain and incorporate an underpass intended to facilitate the movement of elephants and other wildlife, reflecting the need to balance major infrastructure development with environmental considerations.
The feasibility study for the road and bridges has been completed, as has the Environmental and Social Impact Assessment. The detailed engineering design contract was signed in January this year, and design work is currently underway.
With land acquisition and compensation arrangements being finalised, the project is entering a critical preparatory phase. Completion of the detailed design, contractor prequalification, bidding and land compensation will determine whether the June 2027 construction target remains on schedule.
For the affected households, however, the project is no longer simply a future transport corridor. The acquisition of hundreds of private land plots means that its immediate impact will be felt on the ground, making transparent consultation, timely compensation and clarity on resettlement crucial as the government moves to deliver one of the key road links supporting the GMC.
Nidup Lhamo, Thimphu
