Traffic congestion in Daunne as cold wave makes road slippery [In Pictures]

BUTWAL: Traffic along the Daunne section of the East–West Highway has been affected since Monday night after a cold wave made the road surface slippery.

In the uphill and downhill stretches of Daunne hill, moisture caused by the cold wave made the road slick, leading vehicles to skid and resulting in a long traffic jam. Passengers traveling along the East–West Highway have been stranded due to the congestion.

According to Police Sub-Inspector Gyan Prasad Kafle of the Area Police Office, Dumkibas, a long queue of vehicles formed after the road became slippery. “The problem had been seen since Sunday, but the road came to a complete standstill on Monday evening,” he said.

Because of the prolonged congestion, some passengers have been forced to continue their journey on foot. Although vehicle movement is relatively smooth along most sections of the under-construction 114-kilometer Butwal–Narayanghat road, work in the Daunne stretch is still incomplete. As only one lane of the road has been opened for vehicular traffic due to the ongoing road expansion works, problems such as breakdowns of overloaded vehicles have also been reported.

Jagalal Nepali, a passenger traveling from Kathmandu to Butwal, said he was forced to walk due to the long congestion. “We suffered all night, and when there was still no sign of the road reopening by 8 am. We walked for two hours to reach Bardaghat,” he said.