Authorities Prepare for Election Travel Surge Amid Ongoing Road Construction Woes

Kathmandu. Approximately 800,000 people temporarily residing in the Kathmandu Valley are estimated to return to their villages for the Holi festival and Thursday's elections. Consequently, a rush of people heading home has been observed over the past few days.

Considering this surge, the Department of Transport Management has announced plans to keep road transport smooth and operational, even utilizing army and school/college buses if necessary.

However, as major highways remain under construction, travelers will have to face dust and risky journeys in many sections. The Department of Roads stated that maintenance work on roads under its jurisdiction has been intensified.

Due to the expected increase in vehicle and passenger traffic during the election period, transport entrepreneurs had urged the government in Magh (Jan/Feb) to improve road conditions. At that time, the Department of Roads had issued a circular to its offices nationwide a month ago to fill potholes and carry out maintenance to facilitate road transport.

• “Roads under the Department are free of potholes”

Shyambhadur Khadka, Information Officer for the Department, stated that all highways, auxiliary roads, and other roads under the Department's purview have been repaired and made operational.

“Wherever there are potholes, maintenance is being carried out according to our regular schedule,” Khadka said. He added that maintenance work has been made more effective this time due to the increased movement of people returning to their villages for the elections.

“We are continuously carrying out maintenance work on roads within our jurisdiction, but since many village-connecting roads fall outside our jurisdiction, we are not involved in the maintenance of those roads,” he added.

Transport entrepreneurs had been pressuring the government to complete road repairs quickly, citing risky travel due to potholes during the election period. The Department, however, assured that work is underway on roads under its control and committed to providing convenience to travelers.

• What is the condition of which road?

Most major national highways in the country are currently undergoing repair, expansion, or upgrading. Maintenance, expansion, and upgrading work is ongoing on the BP Highway, Kanti Highway, East-West Highway, and national highways connecting the North-South.

The government's failure to complete road construction on time and neglecting timely maintenance is considered a major factor in road accidents.

The Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel section of the Arniko Highway, a major highway connecting Kathmandu to the eastern hilly and central Himalayan districts, is currently under expansion. Travelers are suffering from dust due to the expansion work on the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel road section of this highway.

The 16-kilometer section is being expanded by dividing it into two parts. Its deadline has been extended after the construction was not completed on schedule. The progress on the Suryabinayak-Sanga section has reached 48 percent, while the progress on the Sanga-Dhulikhel section has reached 65 percent.

Similarly, the BP Highway, which connects the eastern hilly districts to Kathmandu, was damaged by incessant rainfall in Ashwin 2081 (Sept/Oct). Travelers have to endure difficult journeys on this highway, which is currently operational via temporary diversions. Of the 29-kilometer section damaged by floods, JICA will reconstruct 3.22 kilometers, while contracts have been awarded and reconstruction work has begun on the remaining sections. The physical progress on this road is currently around 24 percent.

The Kanti Highway, connecting Kathmandu to the Terai region, is also under reconstruction after being damaged by floods in Ashwin of the previous year.

The Nagdhunga-Mugling road is considered the lifeline of Kathmandu. This road is also being expanded by dividing it into various sections. Work on some sections is in the final stage, while some are half complete.

Project Chief Keshav Prasad Ojha informed that the Nagdhunga-Naubise section has reached its final stage. Furthermore, the landslide control work at Jhyaple Khola on this section has also reached the final stage. It is reported that the second layer of blacktopping is complete, and the third layer is in progress. The third layer of blacktopping on this section will only be completed after the elections.

Likewise, the Naubise-Malekhu and Malekhu-Mugling sections are also under expansion. The project stated that despite the ongoing road expansion, the work of filling potholes and maintenance targeting the elections has been completed for all sections.

The project confirmed that there is no obstruction to traffic operation on this section.

The Mugling-Pokhara and Mugling-Narayanghat roads have also been under expansion for a long time. The Department of Roads has stated that the work of filling potholes and maintenance to ease traffic on both these roads has been completed.