The 10-km Koteshwor-Kalanki road expansion project has been pushed back by a year due to multiple factors like shortage of construction materials, last year’s earthquakes and subsequent Indian trade embargo that triggered acute fuel shortages.The Rs5.27-billion project, which started in June 2013, was scheduled to be completed by 2017. “As the project works have been affected for nearly a year, we expect it will be completed by 2018,” said Pradip Shrestha, spokesperson for the Division Road Office, Lalitpur. “The works have picked up pace since January.”Under the project, the existing two-lane road will be expanded to eight lanes with separate carriageways, service tracks, green belts, bicycle lanes and footpaths on either sides.Shrestha said the project plans to complete construction of four bridges at Balkumari, Balkhu, Kalanki before this year’s monsoon. After that, the project will start blacktopping works and complete three overhead bridges at Koteshwor, Dhobighat and Satdobato.