The Dhulikhel-Khawa section of Araniko Highway will close for 11 hours daily starting March 21 to facilitate urgent blacktopping.

Issuing a notice, the Road Division Office in Bhaktapur announced that all four-wheelers, including buses, are prohibited to ply the road from 6 pm to 5 am until April 3. Meanwhile, heavy vehicles like tippers and trucks face a total 24-hour ban during the period.

This 4.155-kilometre stretch has long been a source of local frustration. The local people often vent their ire over the delay in work at the road stretch. “The delays have been endless,” a local resident of Banepa said. “We have lived through suffocating dust and mud for years.”

The project faced chronic stagnation under the previous contractor—Gauri Parbati Construction. Their agreement was terminated in February, 2025 following persistent negligence. Despite legal challenges, the court upheld the Road Division’s decision, paving the way to select a new contractor. The new contract was awarded to CM-A one-Kali Joint Venture at the cost of Rs 315.6 million.

The road upgrade work has gathered momentum as the project was awarded to the new contractor a few months ago. According to the Road Division Office in Bhaktapur, the construction company has been working at full capacity to accomplish the road project timely.