KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport announced that the BP Highway will not be fully operational before the Dashain festival.
During a press conference held at Singha Durbar on Thursday, the ministry explained that floods had washed away sections of the road from Chauki Danda to Kaladhunga, making it impossible to restore the highway to full functionality before the festival.
As an alternative, other routes are being cleared to ensure smooth travel, according to Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma. He stated that due to the terrain, constructing a temporary road isn’t feasible, and a retaining wall will be required to rebuild the washed-out section.
Temporary roads are being built along riverbanks to retrieve vehicles stranded on the highway. Sharma further mentioned that other highways connecting Kathmandu to outside districts would be operational before Dashain. He also noted that floods had damaged bridges in eight locations, and preparations are underway to install Bailey bridges where possible.
Minister of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal, said that the extent of damage caused to the BP Highway by the floods had been unforeseen. He assured that efforts to restore blocked roads are progressing rapidly and stressed continuous monitoring to prevent fare hikes during the crisis.
The ministry reported that landslides triggered by heavy rains had obstructed 805 points across 34 highways. Out of these, 774 landslides have been cleared, allowing traffic to resume in 29 highways. However, roads remain blocked at 31 locations on five major highways: Larcha-Kodari section of the Araniko Highway, Chauki Danda-Kaladhunga section of the BP Highway, Dolalghat-Rakthum section of the Pushpalal Mid-Hill Highway, Ghapeli-Baguwa section of the Kanti Rajpath and Ramite-Fidim section of the Mechi Highway.
The ministry estimates that approximately NPR 3 billion will be required to build temporary structures to reopen the damaged roads.
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