BP Highway repair work begins

Kathmandu, February 12 — The repair work of the BP Highway, which was damaged by flooding, has begun. The flood that occurred last October damaged various sections of the road from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok, and the Department of Roads has started the repair work in these areas.

According to the department, the flood caused significant damage to a 13-kilometer section of the highway, with 8.5 kilometers of road being completely washed away. Shubharaj Neupane, the head of the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office in Kathmandu, stated that repair work is currently underway, with equipment and manpower being deployed for the different sections.

"Of the 13 kilometers damaged by the flood, 8.5 kilometers of road need to be completely rebuilt," Neupane said. "In the remaining sections, work such as widening the road, leveling it, and filling it with gravel needs to be done, and that has already started." The repair work for this section of the road has been carried out by the Bhaktapur and Khalde divisions, he added.

According to the department, repair work has started at 14 locations, with the maximum utilization of available resources, equipment, and manpower. Neupane mentioned that even if work hasn't yet started in some locations, machinery and tools will be brought in to speed up the process.

Suman Yogesh, the head of the Bhaktapur Road Division, stated that the division has given top priority to the repair of the BP Highway. He added, "We have made the BP Highway our first priority. We are utilizing the division's resources to their fullest to ensure the road does not get blocked during the upcoming monsoon season." 

Yogesh also mentioned that the goal is to prevent traffic disruption during the monsoon season. He said that if necessary, work would continue at night to ensure that the repairs are done swiftly and efficiently.

Following the floods and landslides that damaged the highway in October, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Devendra Dahal, has already directed that the repair and reconstruction work be carried out so that transportation remains uninterrupted during the next monsoon season.

On Saturday, Minister Dahal, along with Secretary Keshav Kumar Sharma, Director General Ramhari Pokharel from the Department of Roads, and the heads of the Bhaktapur and Khalde Divisions, conducted a site inspection. During the inspection, Minister Dahal instructed that resources should not be in short supply for the repair and reconstruction of the highway and emphasized the need to speed up the repair and reconstruction process.