Two-way traffic restored on Prithvi Highway after 18 days

CHITWAN: Two-way traffic resumed on the Prithvi Highway on Thursday morning. 

The reopening comes 18 days after a section at Krishnabhir in Dhading district was washed away by floods on August 30.

The Trishuli River eroded the road’s foundation, causing about 100 metres of the highway to collapse and leaving the route completely obstructed. An alternative track was created by cutting through a nearby mound from September 3 to allow limited vehicular movement.

“All works were completed by Wednesday evening, and the road has been brought into operation from today,” said Dhiraj Dhakal, an engineer with Nagdhunga-Muglin Road Project, West Section. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development had mobilised manpower, equipment and other resources to construct the alternative track and restore traffic.

Vehicles that had been stranded for the past two days were allowed to pass from Wednesday evening, and regular two‑way traffic resumed on Thursday. With Krishnabhir reopened, vehicles that had been partially restricted at Tuinkhola on the Narayangadh-Muglin section have also been permitted to proceed.

The prolonged closure had limited movement of large vehicles to and from Kathmandu and contributed to a shortage of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) in Kathmandu. Around 14,000 vehicles use the highway daily.

By RSS