Kathmandu, Sept 8: The Department of Roads has accelerated work to build an alternative track at Krishna Bhir along the Prithvi Highway after the Trishuli River washed away a large section of the road, disrupting traffic.
The river eroded the lower section of the highway and destroyed about 100 metres of retaining wall, sweeping away a substantial portion of the road. The Department of Roads is now cutting through the hillside to build a roughly 300-metre alternative track. However, cracks have appeared on the slope about 20 metres above the construction site, raising concerns over landslide risks.
Geologists have identified seven major cracks, each about 15 metres long and more than a foot wide, on the slope above the diversion site. Despite the risks, authorities are pressing ahead with the work to restore traffic as soon as possible.
Sachendra Mishra, information officer and engineer at the western section of the Naubise Muglin Road Project, said the track construction has been underway for four days under the technical supervision and design of the Geotech Society. The target is to complete the cutting work and open the road within five to seven days.
Six excavators, a loader, bulldozer and JCB have been deployed. Engineers are using special techniques to stabilise the landslide-prone area, including sheet piles, side drains, gabion drains with geotextile and micro piles.
The new road will have a seven-metre carriageway and two gravel lanes. Officials aim to bring it into full operation before Dashain, possibly by the end of Bhadra.
The Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport is studying longer-term options to address the recurring obstruction at Krishna Bhir and along the Muglin Malekhu section.
Ministry information officer Gyan Raj Lamsal said the immediate priority is to restore traffic through the new track. Once opened, the road will be gravelled and strengthened for two-way traffic.
For a permanent solution at Krishna Bhir, the ministry is considering two options: building a tunnel through the landslide-prone section or constructing two bridges across the Trishuli River and shifting the road to the opposite bank before bringing it back.
Lamsal said a detailed feasibility study will determine which option is more suitable, sustainable and cost-effective.
The current repair and diversion work is being financed from the existing budget of the Malekhu Muglin Road Project. Further reconstruction plans will depend on detailed studies.
The floods damaged 41 bridges and about 40 kilometres of roads. Reconstruction of around 10 kilometres between Bidur and Betravati is already underway. Authorities say other damaged sections will be rebuilt gradually.
People’s News Monitoring Service
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