KAVREPALANCHOK: The permanent reconstruction of the Piple to Barkhekhola section of the BP Highway in Kavrepalanchok has begun with assistance from Japan.
Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru and Secretary at the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure Development Gopal Prasad Sigdel jointly laid the foundation stone for the project.
Senior Divisional Engineer and Head of the Road Division Office, Bhaktapur, Suman Yogesh, said the 3.2 km stretch is being rebuilt with financial and technical support from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
He noted that around 30 km of road sections in Kavrepalanchok and Sindhuli along the BP Highway were damaged by landslides on September 28, 2024, and require major reconstruction and repairs.
The reconstruction of the Piple–Barkhekhola section has been awarded to Japan-based Shimizu Corporation. According to officials, a bilateral agreement signed on October 30, 2025, provides a Japanese grant assistance of 2.8 billion yen, after which preparatory works have been completed and construction has now started.
Earlier, JICA teams had carried out preparatory activities including camp setup and temporary road construction. At present, reconstruction work is underway in four sections of the damaged highway.
According to Engineer Yogesh, around 25 percent of work has been completed so far in three sections contracted in Kavrepalanchok. Following the floods and landslides of September 2024 additional damage during the rains of 2025, permanent reconstruction works have been ongoing since last December.
He said RCC retaining walls are being constructed at multiple damaged locations. Similarly, plumb wall construction along riverbanks in Chowkidanda and RCC wall works in Charsaybesi and Bhakundebesi have also begun.
Road widening is also underway in sections including Dalabesi, Mangaltar, and Charsaybesi to Narke. In areas where complete washouts occurred due to floods last year and this year, structures are being designed to withstand future flood events.
Yogesh added that construction of protective structures and road widening in damaged sections will be completed this year, while remaining structural works will be accelerated next year. The long-term plan includes upgrading the highway into a two-lane road.
He further said that in sections being rebuilt as two lanes, additional bridges will be constructed alongside existing ones, and five bridges have been identified for expansion.
The Khani–Avan–Kamaljit JV has been awarded the contract for reconstructing an 8.5 km stretch from Dalabesi to Charsaybesi at a cost of Rs 1.42 billion.
Similarly, the Lama–Nawakantipur JV has secured the contract for the 11.08 km section from Charsaybesi to Bhakundebesi.
Apart from the JICA-supported segment, the government had already awarded contracts prior to last October. A total of Rs 8.5 billion has been allocated for reconstruction of the damaged sections, including Rs 7.5 billion for three Kavrepalanchok sections and Rs 1 billion for one section in Sindhuli.
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