BP highway reopened for Dashain travelers, Roshi River road diversion completed
The most severely affected area is the Roshi River section, where a diversion road has been constructed to reopen the highway.
KATHMANDU: Rapid efforts are being made to restore the B.P. Highway, which has been blocked due to landslides and flooding.
The most severely affected area is the Roshi River section, where a diversion road has been constructed to reopen the highway.
According to Pradeep Tamang, the information officer at the Road Division in Khaltak, the road has been reopened by diverting the water of the Roshi River.
Floodwaters had swept away approximately 2 kilometers of the highway along the Roshi Riverbank. The road is now operational.
Tamang further stated that the route at a place called Ghopcho has also been cleared. “After diverting the Roshi River, we have managed to reopen the road,” he said, adding, “We are working diligently to ensure the B.P. Highway is fully operational before Dashain.”
Efforts are underway to temporarily operate a 200-meter section of road at the boundary between Kavrepalanchowk’s Namobuddha Municipality and Roshi Rural Municipality, which had been washed away.
Manpower and equipment have been mobilized to facilitate this work, with the aim of allowing temporary vehicular movement in the next two days.
The Road Division Office in Bhaktapur has reported that construction has begun to realign the river flow to allow temporary transportation at the washed-away location. Senior Divisional Engineer Suman Yogesh mentioned that the current river flow is too strong to allow immediate cross-diversion.
He explained that a significant hill obstructs the possibility of diverting the road to higher ground. Following incessant rains, local residents and travelers were stranded after the road link was severed last Saturday, with helicopter rescues commencing on Sunday.
This vital highway, which connects the capital to the eastern region through the mid-hill area, has been completely shut down since Saturday morning.
The steep hillside above and the river below make it extremely difficult for even pedestrians to pass through the area. Repair work is being initiated on the highway to allow stranded vehicles to return, with efforts beginning from Bhakundebesi in Kavrepalanchok and Nepalthok in Sindhuli.
Starting from Tuesday, the Road Division in Bhaktapur has begun repairs on the section of road from Bridge No. 1, which was most severely affected by the Roshi River, extending to Nepalthok.
The highway, blocked by landslides, has been operating unidirectionally from Dhulikhel to Bhakundebesi since last Monday. Repairs have also commenced on the road from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok.
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The division has deployed equipment including excavators from Kavrepalanchowk and five bulldozers from Nepalthok for the repairs.
Additionally, five machines that arrived from Janakpur are working on the road from Mangalatar to Narkes, aiming to clear the way for vehicles stranded in Sindhuli.
While exact assessments of the damage from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok are still pending, it is estimated that approximately 2 kilometers of road have been completely washed away in this 29-kilometer section.
Of the total 160 kilometers of the highway, continuous rains have caused damage in various locations along 84 kilometers, with the third segment from Khurkot in Sindhuli to Nepalthok measuring 34 kilometers and the fourth segment from Nepalthok to Dhulikhel measuring 50 kilometers.
