Review of the Suspension Bridge Programme Phase VI in Bhutan

Swiss involvement in the Suspension Bridge Programme (SBP) in Bhutan through SDC/Helvetas was launched in 1985. Since the beginning of the technical and financial cooperation between the Royal Government of Bhutan and SDC/Helvetas more than 250 safe river crossings have been constructed and about 100 existing bridges rehabilitated. These bridges provide access and mobility to thousands of beneficiary households all over the country. The socio-economic benefits of these generally remote river crossings are thus enormous. Over the years, planning, design and construction procedures for suspension and suspended bridges have been standardised to a high degree and production processes and implementation quality continually improved.

With extensive training interventions in 2006, the process of decentralising planning, survey and design of the newly introduced Short Span Trail Bridges has been started and culminated with the completion of the first training /demonstration bridge. This effort has to be seen in the context of substantial capacity building measures that have been undertaken not only at central but increasingly also at the district administration levels. With the transfer of additional staff and the creation of the Rural Infrastructure Services Division there exist good framework conditions for the sustainability of capacity building and institutional development measures.

The last years were characterised by political legislative changes and the elections of April 2008. The new decentralised powers clearly allow a more bottom-up decision-making and need-based prioritisation of bridge projects. Financial means for maintenance are now available at the village level and can potentially be used for maintenance of trail bridges.

The suspension bridge programme is a good entry point to promote good governance and strengthen local institutional structures through targeted capacity building measures such as instruction and training of local level staff including caretakers in issues related to the institutional and technical aspects of bridge planning, implementation and maintenance. In the framework of regular backstopping mission Skat assists the SBP on technical, operational, conceptual and strategic issues. The last mission took place in January 2009.