Himal Press 
The 200-meter road section near Chaukidanda of Kavre cut by the floods. Photo: RSS
KATHMANDU: The government has guaranteed funding for the reconstruction of the BP Highway.
The Ministry of Finance has approved a budget of Rs 18.88 billion for the reconstruction of 26 roads and bridges damaged by floods and landslides in September last year. A major share of this allocation has been set aside for the BP Highway which suffered the most damage.
Out of the total allocated amount, Rs 8.50 billion has been earmarked for BP Highway reconstruction. The Department of Roads (DoR) had requested 9.66 billion rupees for the highway reconstruction. According to the DoR, Rs 7.50 billion of the allocated amount is for the Kavre section and Rs 1.6 million for the Sindhuli section.
According to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) prepared for BP Highway reconstruction, the road section will be upgraded to two lanes. The reconstruction work will take three years to complete.
The government had previously requested assistance from the Japanese government for the reconstruction of the highway built with Japanese aid. During a meeting with then-Japanese Ambassador Kikuta Yutaka in October last year, Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had expressed hope for Japanese support in highway reconstruction. “The September floods and landslides have severely damaged the BP Highway, and its reconstruction will require substantial funds and technical resources,” Oli had told Ambassador Kikuta. “Therefore, we need Japanese assistance once again.”
During a meeting with Japanese Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Miyaji Takuma, in Oman on Monday, Minister for Foreign Affairs Arzu Rana Deuba requested the Japanese government to provide necessary assistance for the reconstruction of the BP Highway.
Since the government did not get a positive response from the Japanese government, it has arranged resources for reconstruction on its own.
The road section from Chaukidanda in Namobuddha Municipality to Kaladunga in Roshi Rural Municipality has been severely damaged with the road completely wiped away in many places. The Department of Roads has constructed a diversion through the Roshi River for vehicle movement in this section. Since these diversions cannot be used during the rainy season, the Department of Roads has also planned to construct the necessary infrastructure to make the road operational even during monsoon.
This 160-kilometer highway, built with Japanese assistance, connects Kathmandu to the central Terai and Koshi Province.
Since the highway runs along riverbanks, scour depth protection measures have also been incorporated in the reconstruction design to prevent river erosion below the road surface.
