Traffic resumes on reconstructed BP Highway in Kavrepalanchok
KAVREPALANCHOK: Traffic has resumed on the reconstructed section of the BP Highway on Kavrepalanchok side, and additional maintenance work is underway ahead of the Dashain festival to ease travel, the Road Division, Bhaktapur, has said.
Around 30 kilometres of the highway were damaged by floods and landslides in October 2024, and traffic had been routed via a temporary diversion built in Roshi River. That diversion was washed away by heavy rain in late September this year, but vehicles are now using the reconstructed road track.
“Since it is narrow in one or two places, two-way traffic is being operated by making a diversion, and there is no difficulty anywhere else,” said Suman Yogesh, Senior Divisional Engineer and Chief of the Road Division, Bhaktapur. He said repairs are underway in steep terrain at Chaukidanda and Pinthali, and a diversion is being used while transport runs across about 200 metres of the Dalabensi-Piple road section.
Yogesh said traffic jams are not expected despite vehicles using the reconstructed track, and heavy equipment has been placed on standby to clear any blockages caused by rain, mud or landslides within half an hour to a few hours. “Additional maintenance work is being carried out for travel convenience during Dashain,” he added.
The BP Highway was completely blocked for five days from September 24 after continuous rain washed away the diversion, triggered landslides and left mud on the route. Since then, vehicle traffic has been operating via the reconstructed old road track, with reconstruction work accelerated over recent months.
Most of the damaged sections have been built up to gravel level and large stones placed to prepare the surface. Before the rainy season the road was raised to about seven metres with gravel; work will continue through winter to raise the road to about 10 metres from the river and to lay tarmac. Foundations for reinforced concrete retaining walls have been completed in several locations and further work is ongoing.
The government has approved Rs 8.5 billion for reconstruction of the damaged sections, with Rs 7.5 billion allocated to three road sections on the Kavrepalanchok side and Rs 1 billion for one section in Sindhuli. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is rebuilding the remaining 3.2-kilometre stretch from Barkhekhola to Piple, where soil has been filled and boulders placed so vehicles will not need to drive through the riverbed even in the rainy season.
Work on the highway has been divided into four contract packages — three on the Kavrepalanchok side and one on the Sindhuli side. The reconstructed sections will be upgraded to a full two-lane road, with another bridge to be built alongside existing bridges to make them two-lane. Five bridges will be widened and a 6.3-kilometre reinforced concrete wall will be constructed across the three sections.
Construction of the 160-kilometre BP Highway, which links Dhulikhel, Sindhuli and Bardibas, began in fiscal year 1996/97 with grant assistance from Japan. The completed highway was handed over by the Japanese government to the Government of Nepal on July 3, 2015.
