Kathmandu, August 18: The road from Dhulikhel in Kavrepalanchok, the entry point of the BP Highway, to the Dapcha Bridge in Namobuddha is set to be widened.
According to the plan, a 10-meter-wide main paved carriageway will be constructed along this road section, the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, said.
The existing paved road has an average width of 5.5 meters. The office said the section to be widened is approximately 20 kilometers long. Suman Yogesh, chief of the office and a senior divisional engineer, said that the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for widening the road has already been prepared.
According to him, work is underway to prepare the Initial Environmental Examination report. The DPR estimates that the road expansion will cost Rs 3.7978 billion. The office said the estimated cost of paving is Rs 180.5 million per kilometer.
Yogesh said compensation has already been distributed for structures and land located within 15 meters on either side of the road. The road section to be widened falls within Dhulikhel, Panchkhal, Panauti and Namobuddha municipalities. Floods and landslides in October 2024 damaged around 30 kilometers of the BP Highway between Bhakundebesi and Nepalathok.
The office said that although traffic has been operating through a temporary diversion constructed over the Roshi River, permanent reconstruction work is currently underway in the damaged areas. For reconstruction of the damaged highway, work has been advanced under four contract packages—three in Kavrepalanchok and one in Sindhuli.
The office said resources amounting to Rs 7.5 billion have been secured for the three road sections in Kavrepalanchok, while Rs 1 billion has been secured for the road section in Sindhuli. Construction of the BP Highway (Dhulikhel–Sindhuli–Bardibas) began in fiscal year 2053 BS with a grant from the Government of Japan.
After completion of the 160-kilometer highway, the Government of Japan formally handed it over to the Government of Nepal in Asar 2072 BS.
People’s News Monitoring Service.
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