KATHMANDU: The BP Highway, heavily damaged by floods and landslides in the last week of September, is set for permanent reconstruction as the Division Road Offices of Bhaktapur and Sindhuli have issued tenders for two major road sections.
The decision to begin reconstruction comes five months after the floods wreaked havoc on the highway, especially along the Roshi River stretch.
Eight and a half kilometers of the 13-kilometer road from Roshi to Nepalthok were completely destroyed. The reconstruction will be carried out in four packages.
The first package, covering the Sindhuli side from Nepalthok to Serakhola, was announced on March 12 with a contract value of Rs 720 million. Participating companies are required to provide a security deposit of Rs 18.25 million. The remaining three packages, located in Kavrepalanchok, will be tendered gradually.
The first tender on the Kavrepalanchok side was invited on Tuesday, with a budget of Rs 2.5 billion allocated for the reconstruction of the eight-kilometer road from Dalabensi to Charshayabensi. Bidding companies must provide a security deposit of Rs 65 million.
According to Senior Divisional Engineer Suman Yogesh, head of the Division Road Office, the Ministry of Finance has already allocated Rs 8.5 billion for the entire BP Highway reconstruction. The reconstruction is expected to be completed within two years.
While permanent reconstruction is underway, temporary repairs are being accelerated to ensure regular traffic flow during the upcoming rainy season.
Repairs are being prioritized in the Roshi area of Kavrepalanchok, the most heavily affected section. Loaders and dozers are being used to widen and level the damaged road, and gravel is being used to raise the road height by two to three meters, especially in challenging areas.
The reconstructed road will be a two-lane concrete highway, replacing the previous intermediate-lane configuration. Additionally, work is being done to deepen the Roshi River bed by about three meters to mitigate future flood impacts.
Temporary repairs are also ongoing along the Dhulikhel-Nepalthok and Nepalthok-Khurkot sections, with a budget of Rs 212.5 million allocated. Meanwhile, vehicles traveling from Kathmandu to eastern districts like Ramechhap and Sindhuli are currently using an unpaved road along the riverbank as an alternative route.
Senior Divisional Engineer Yogesh assured that the reconstruction project aims to provide a safer and more resilient highway that can withstand future natural disasters.
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