BP Highway to remain closed until after Dashain, ministry confirms

KATHMANDU: The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport has stated that the obstructed BP Highway will not reopen before Dashain.

Speaking at a press conference held at the ministry on Thursday, Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma said that the blocked BP Highway will not be operational before the Dashain festival.

He mentioned that a team from the ministry had conducted an on-site visit, concluding that there was no possibility of reopening the BP Highway before Dashain. However, efforts to clear the road are ongoing. He clarified that even if the road is partially opened, it will only be for the rescue of stranded vehicles, not for regular traffic.

Due to heavy rainfall on October 11 and 12, landslides have blocked 805 locations across 34 highways throughout the country. Among these, landslides have been cleared from 774 locations, and traffic has resumed on 29 highways using departmental and rented equipment and manpower, Secretary Sharma said.

Efforts are currently underway to resume traffic on 31 blocked sections of five major highways. According to initial estimates, the temporary restoration of roads and bridges will cost between 2.5 to 3 billion rupees, he informed.

Furthermore, the total estimated cost for the permanent restoration of all damaged infrastructures is expected to be between 20 to 25 billion rupees.

Secretary Sharma highlighted specific sections still obstructed, including the 5 km Larcha-Kodari section of the Araniko Highway, the 18 km Chaukidanda-Kaldhunga section of the BP Highway, the 80 km Dolalghat-Rakthum section of the Mid-Hill Highway, the 13 km Ghapeli-Bagwa section of the Kanti Rajpath, and the 8 km Ramite-Phidim section of the Mechi Highway.

Additionally, the damaged bridges include the Liping and Larcha Bailey Bridges on the Araniko Highway, the Sunkoshi and Khairenitar bridges on the BP Highway, the Sunkoshi-Khurkot and Sunkoshi-Foksingtar bridges on the BP Highway, the Hawakhola Bridge on the Mechi Highway, the Bagmati Bridge on the Kanti Lokpath, and the Ratekhola Bridge on the Maipokhari-Sandakpur road in Ilam.