Contracts have been awarded to rebuild a 25-kilometre stretch of the BP Highway from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok that was damaged by floods in September 2024. The section will be upgraded to a two-lane road.

Currently, three contract packages—two in Kavre and one in Sindhuli—have been signed.

The BP Highway, a key route connecting Kathmandu with the eastern parts of the country, has become increasingly vulnerable to landslides and flood damage during the monsoon.

The contract for the 11km stretch from Bhakundebesi to Charsayabesi has been awarded to Lama-Nawa Kantipur JV. The agreement was signed at Rs1.14 billion excluding VAT.

For the 9km stretch from Charsayabesi to Dalelbesi, the contract was awarded to Khani-Kamaljeet-Awan JV at Rs1.22 billion excluding VAT.

According to the Department of Roads, both contracts were signed in mid-June, and the work must be completed within two years from the date of signing.

As the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will be working on a 5km section of the same highway, the department invited bids only for the remaining sections.

JICA has agreed to build a 3.2km road segment from Piple to Barkhekhola, and the final survey of this section is currently underway through JICA. The section will be built under a grant provided by the Japanese government.

Arjun Prasad Aryal, chief of the Development Cooperation Implementation Division at the Department of Roads, said that the section to be built under Japan’s grant assistance will cost approximately Rs2.63 billion.

“We have been told that the section Japan will construct will be motorable and built to the same standard as ours by July 2027,” said Aryal. “We will begin blacktopping after that.”

The BP Highway currently meets intermediate-lane standards, but Aryal said it will now be built as a proper two-lane highway. The tender process for the Japanese-funded section will be conducted by Japan itself.

The contract for the 2.3km section from Piple to Dalabesi has already been awarded, and the agreement process is underway, said Suman Yogesh, chief of the Bhaktapur Road Division.

The 5km stretch from Barkhekhola to Nepalthok, which lies in Sindhuli district, has been awarded to Kharidhunga–Ghising–Kshitiz JV. The contract was signed last month for Rs550 million, excluding VAT.

According to Shubharaj Neupane, chief of the Federal Road Supervision and Monitoring Office, the contract for the Japanese section will be signed by the end of 2025.

“Representatives from the contracted companies have already reached the field. They have started temporary works in their respective sections to prevent problems during the monsoon floods,” he said. “Workers and machinery have already been deployed.”

The companies awarded contracts for the 25km stretch are responsible for road clearance and maintenance in case of blockage due to floods or landslides.

“Work as per the design will begin only after the monsoon,” he said. “For now, the construction will only focus on preventing obstruction during the rainy season.”

He added that construction works will begin towards the end of mid-September, once the monsoon subsides.

“Contractors have already been mobilised,” he said. “We only facilitate coordination. Engineers and sub-engineers have been deployed in the field throughout the rainy season.”

The entire 30km section will be constructed to a two-lane standard. In the wake of flood damage, a budget request of Rs8.5 billion was submitted for reconstruction and maintenance of the BP Highway. Accordingly, Rs7.5 billion was allocated to the Bhaktapur section, and Rs1 billion to the Khurkot section.