KATHMANDU: The Nagdhunga–Malekhu section of the Prithvi Highway, which has been facing daily five-hour partial closures for upgrading work, will remain fully open today and tomorrow (Friday and Saturday).
Authorities decided to suspend the scheduled closures to ensure smooth movement for participants traveling to the opening session of the CPN-UML’s 11th Central General Convention.
According to the Nagdhunga–Muglin Road Project, the road has been undergoing partial shutdowns since December 10 as part of its ongoing expansion and repair work. Project officials informed that although the upgrade schedule remains unchanged, the two-day pause has been introduced solely to prevent traffic congestion during the political event.
Keshav Prasad Ojha, Chief of the project’s eastern section, said they had been coordinating with the district administration offices of Kathmandu and Dhading to enforce daily closures from 10:30 am to 3:30 pm until December 16. “To speed up the upgrading works, we were closing the road for five hours every day. However, considering the UML General Convention, the expected surge in vehicles, and the risk of heavy traffic jams, we decided not to close the road for these two days,” he said.
On Wednesday, a delegation from the Youth Association Nepal met with Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Kulman Ghising, requesting that the road remain open during the event. Following the appeal, the ministry and the project agreed to temporarily lift the restriction.
The Department of Roads is giving high priority to blacktopping the Nagdhunga–Piplamod stretch within Kathmandu district, while also accelerating the widening of the Bangebhir area along the Naubise–Malekhu section in Dhading. Both tasks are integral to improving traffic flow on one of the busiest and most landslide-prone corridors of the country.
Authorities have stated that once the two-day window ends, the regular closure schedule will resume as per the original plan to ensure timely completion of the upgrade works.
Comment