Six Highways Blocked Across the Country Amid Dashain Rush

Six major highways across Nepal remain completely blocked and traffic is operating one-way on 169 road sections due to damage caused by landslides and floods, according to the Department of Roads.

The department’s spokesperson Prabhat Kumar Jha said work is underway to reopen the Arniko Highway that links Kathmandu and Kodari via Dhulikhel–Dolalghat–Khadichaur route by Monday evening. “Road repair and maintenance are being carried out intensively to ensure safe travel for people leaving and entering the Valley during the Dashain festival,” he added.

Although the Prithvi Highway reopened on Sunday evening, Jha said it was closed for two hours on Monday afternoon to clear debris.

The Rani–Biratnagar–Itahari–Dharan–Dhankuta–Hile route and the Leguwaghat–Tumlingtar–Khandbari–Num–Kimathanka section of the Koshi Highway are also fully closed. The department said a diversion across the Barun River was swept away, while high water levels have delayed both the diversion’s reconstruction and the completion of a new bridge deck.

Traffic remains halted as well along the Chatara–Mulghat–Majhitar–Amarapurdanda–Ganeshchok stretch of the Tamor Corridor after floods on July 22 washed away the temporary Ranipul Bailey bridge. The department said Remit Hydro is working to rebuild the bridge.

Other roads that remain blocked include the Thori–Bhandara–Malekhu section and Galchhi–Trishuli–Betrabati–Mailung–Syabrubesi–Rasuwagadhi section, where floods originating in China in July washed away portions of the roads. Excavators and loaders have been deployed to clear the obstructions.

Department of Roads’ information officer Amit Kumar Sharma said about 400,000 square meters of potholes nationwide need to be filled and repairs are being fast-tracked ahead of the Dashain travel rush. “Roads with the heaviest traffic are being given top priority,” he noted.

Saroj Sitaula, senior vice-president of the National Federation of Nepal Transport Entrepreneurs, urged the government to expedite repairs to ease the growing pressure of festival travelers leaving and returning to the Kathmandu Valley. -- RSS