Kavrepalanchok. The Kavrepalanchowk-Sindhuli section of the BP Highway has been permanently reconstructed along the highway. For this, the reconstruction work has been intensified in the last few months.

According to the Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, gravel works are being carried out in most of the damaged areas of the highway and in some places by placing large boulders of rainfall.

Suman Yogesh, chief of the office, said that preparations are being made to operate vehicles from the track opened on the old road in view of the rainy season. According to him, the vehicle can be operated from above in four places and it can be started from above if there is an immediate flood. After the floods and landslides damaged the road along the highway, a temporary diversion has been constructed in the Roshi River to allow vehicular movement.

According to Yogesh, a section of Charsabesi, Boksikuna, Kaldhunga and Dalabesi has already been prepared. “Apart from these, there will be no situation to stop the vehicles if there is a problem in diversion of other areas,” he said. The floods and landslides of September 2081 had damaged around 30 kilometres of the highway from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok. After that, the diversion built temporarily in the Roshi River was also swept away by the floods. Currently, gravel is being constructed up to seven meters before the rainy season while the road up to 10 meters from the rivulet will be blacktopped after the rainfall.

Yogesh said that the foundation of RCC wall has been completed in some places and other works are going on. According to him, preparations are being made to travel through the new track from June 29. According to Yogesh, blacktopping work will begin in the next fiscal year.

The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is reconstructing the remaining one section from Barkhekhola to Piple on a 3.2-km road. JICA said the work of placing boulders by filling the soil in the stretch is taking place. Yogesh said that there is no situation to operate vehicles from the rivulets along this section during the rainy season. The construction of the highway has been forwarded by making four packages—three towards Kavrepalanchowk and one towards Sindhuli.

Keeping in mind the possible risk and construction work, the movement has been prohibited from 5 pm to 5 am at night. Earlier, the highway was obstructed due to the temporary diversion being washed away immediately after the flood in the Roshi River.

The highway will be upgraded and a two-lane road will be constructed in the next reconstruction. “The road section to be reconstructed will have a two-lane road while another bridge will be constructed along with the bridges within it,” said Yogesh. According to him, five bridges will be converted into two lanes.

Khani-Ewan-Kamaljeet JV has been awarded a contract to spend Rs 1.42 billion for the reconstruction of 8.5 kilometers road from Dalabensi to 400besi. Likewise, contract agreement was reached with Lama-Nawakantipur JV for the reconstruction of 11.08 km from Charsabesi to Bhakundebesi at a cost of Rs 1.33 billion and Kharidhunga-Ghising-Kshitij JV for the reconstruction of 4.90 km road from Nepalthok to Barkhekhola at a cost of Rs 610 million.

JICA has agreed to provide grant of Rs 2.63 billion for the construction of 3.2 kilometres from Barkhekhola to Piple of the 29.5 kilometres road. The government had already awarded the contract for the construction of other sections except the road section to be constructed by JICA before last September. The government has agreed Rs 8.50 billion for the reconstruction of the damaged sections. Three roads towards Kavrepalanchowk and Rs 7.50 billion have been allocated for the construction of three roads in Kavrepalanchowk and Rs 1 billion for one road section of Sindhuli.

Construction of the BP Highway (160 km Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas) was started in the fiscal year 2053/54 BS with the grant assistance from the Government of Japan. The Japanese government had formally handed over the road to the Government of Nepal on Asar 1, 2072 BS.