The foundation stone has been laid for the 3.2-kilometre section of the BP Highway, from Piple to Barkhekhola, to be constructed as a two-lane road. The 30.5 km section of the highway from Bhakundebesi to Nepalthok was damaged by floods in September 2024.

Of the damaged stretch, 27.3 km has already been contracted, and reconstruction work is underway, while the remaining 3.2 km section has been taken up separately under assistance from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

Nearly a year after contracts were awarded for the 27.3 km section, Secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development Gopal Prasad Sigdel and Japan’s Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru jointly inaugurated the 3.2 km section on Monday. JICA Nepal Chief Representative Matsuzaki Mizuki also attended the programme.

Secretary Sigdel said the road in the flood-affected corridor is being reconstructed with a grant from the Government of Japan.

The 3.2 km section is being built with a Japanese grant of Rs 2.60 billion, with completion targeted for December 2027.

The construction contract has been awarded to Japanese firm Shimizu Corporation, according to Suman Yogesh, chief of the Road Division Office, Bhaktapur.

He said the company is currently carrying out excavation work up to seven metres deep using heavy machinery and conducting soil tests at the site.

He added that permanent construction has not yet started in the 3.2 km section. For the monsoon period, temporary arrangements will be made to allow vehicle movement.

“We will manage traffic during the monsoon by raising the riverbank by five metres and placing large stones along the river edge,” Yogesh said.

He said there are four high-risk locations in the section. “If any immediate issues arise, technical teams and machinery will be deployed,” he added.

Meanwhile, work on the 27.3 km section is ongoing, with authorities aiming to keep the route operational during the monsoon. However, blacktopping and other finishing works are yet to be completed.

At present, diversions have been created along the 27.3 km section to keep vehicles moving. Authorities said traffic will also be allowed through the original alignment during the monsoon where possible. The contracts for this section were awarded separately last year, with a completion target of two years. The Government of Nepal is funding the works.

Following flood damage to the Bhakundebesi–Nepalthok section in September 2024, reconstruction has been divided into three packages across Kavre and Sindhuli districts, with separate contracts awarded.

The 11 km Bhakundebesi–Charsayabesi section has been awarded to the Lama–Nawakantipur JV for Rs 1.14 billion. The 9 km Charsayabesi–Dalabesi section has been awarded to the Khani–Kamaljit–Aone JV for Rs 1.22 billion excluding VAT. Both contracts were signed in June 2025.

The 2.3 km Piple–Dalabesi section was awarded to Uma and Company–Bhandari–Amarjyoti JV in October 2024 for Rs 688 million.

“Currently, we are allowing traffic through river diversions in the sections under construction, but these are repeatedly washed away during heavy rainfall,” Yogesh said.

“In such cases, traffic is halted and then diverted again after floodwaters recede,” he added.

In the 27.3 km section, he said gravel surfaces are being maintained to ensure traffic movement from the end of June, considering the monsoon period.

“We are building a gravel road to allow vehicle movement, and blacktopping will be carried out in the next fiscal year, 2026-27,” Yogesh said.

He added that the road will be raised up to 10 metres, with up to 7 metres of gravel maintained before the monsoon to ensure traffic flow.

“There will be no need for vehicles to pass through rivers during the monsoon,” he said.

“During the monsoon, when diversions are washed away by floods, the contractor will be responsible for rebuilding them at no additional cost,” he added.

The 5 km Barkhekhola–Nepalthok section in Sindhuli falls under the jurisdiction of the Sindhuli Road Division, Khalte. The contract for this section has been awarded to the Khari Dhunga–Ghising–Kshitij JV, with a contract value of Rs 550 million excluding VAT.

The Department of Roads has directed concerned authorities to complete construction of the 27.3 km section within two years of contract signing.

Parash Mani Hamal, chief of the Sindhuli Road Division, Khalte, said traffic arrangements will be ensured in the Sindhuli section before the monsoon.

He said the Kaladhunga and Nepalthok areas are already prepared for monsoon traffic. The disruption at Kaladhunga occurred after a section of road below a school was washed away by floods.

“We will complete the work there within a month. If rains continue to cause problems, we will construct a temporary dam and operate vehicles,” he said.

He added that traffic will be opened on the newly constructed track once the monsoon begins, with machinery deployed at key points.

Although road construction is underway, reconstruction of bridges along the highway has not yet started.

Traffic congestion remains severe at bridge points along the corridor. More than 4,000 vehicles use the route daily. Narrow single-lane bridges continue to cause long queues during crossings.