The Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport has started construction on the Changlam Public Transport Key Corridor, a 1.5-kilometre stretch through the capital’s core intended to make one of Thimphu’s busiest routes safer for pedestrians and more reliable for buses.
The corridor runs from Lungtenzampa Bridge to Dechen Zam. Officials at the Department of Human Settlement describe it as a priority public-transport spine, carrying some of the city’s most frequent bus services. The works are meant to tidy the street, separate pedestrians from traffic more clearly, and give passengers proper places to wait.
The package covers road and street improvements, a reorganisation of roadside parking, retaining and boundary walls, stormwater drainage, water supply and wastewater lines, utility ducts, paving, lighting, bins and passenger facilities. Ten bus stops are planned, each with a shelter, seating, solar panels and real-time information displays so riders can see when the next bus is due.
The contract, valued at Nu 310 million, has been awarded to Penjor Construction Private Limited. Of that total, Nu 264.5 million is allocated for the current fiscal year. Completion is expected in 15 months, by September 2027.
The project sits inside the wider rollout of the Thimphu Structure Plan. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Chandra Bahadur Gurung has said residents should soon see works in the Changlam area as planned drainage, transport and neighbourhood upgrades move from paper into the streets.
Because the stretch is already congested, a taskforce has reviewed how construction will affect traffic and has set out circulation plans aimed at keeping pedestrians safe. Road diversions and rerouting will be used while work is under way. The ministry says construction will be phased, with controlled exceptions, diversions and night working windows so the city can keep moving.
For commuters who use Changlam daily, the promise is a corridor that is easier to walk, better lit and built around the bus rather than around parked cars. Until September 2027, the more immediate experience will be cones, night shifts and a longer way around.
