The BP Highway, damaged by the September 2024 floods, has still not been fully restored. Construction work is ongoing to raise the road up to eight metres above the riverbed level by building embankments to prevent further flood damage.

The Road Division Office, Bhaktapur, had planned to open a new track for vehicular traffic starting in late June, anticipating monsoon conditions. Although the plan aimed to ensure uninterrupted traffic during the rainy season, vehicles are currently operating through a diversion as flood risks have not yet emerged, said Suman Yogesh, chief of the office.

“There is no problem in operating from the new track, but since flood issues have not started, vehicles are running through the diversion,” Yogesh said. “Construction on the new track will continue until floods create disruption.” He added that problems are expected only if there is continuous heavy rainfall.

Work on the section to be built by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has not yet started. JICA has already laid the foundation stone for upgrading the 3.2 km Piple–Barkhekhola section into a two-lane road. Construction will begin after the monsoon, said Yogesh. The project is being built with a Japanese grant of Rs2.6 billion and is scheduled for completion by November-December 2027. The contract has been awarded to Japan’s Shimizu Corporation.

In this section, temporary flood-resilient measures are being used, including placing large stones along the riverbank and laying gravel above them. Machinery has been stationed at multiple points to allow immediate restoration of traffic if flooding occurs, said Yogesh.

“No permanent structure has been started in the JICA-funded section, and there is still a risk of flooding,” he said. “It is a short stretch, and we have already arranged machinery to respond immediately if problems arise.” He added that permanent road construction is currently underway elsewhere to build a more sustainable road, keeping in mind the damage caused by the previous floods.

According to him, reinforced cement concrete (RCC), plum concrete, and masonry wall construction are in progress. Drainage and culvert construction have also been completed in several areas. Road works are ongoing in Katunje Ghumaune, Chaukidanda, Narke, Dalabesi, Piple, Chiuribas, and Mangalatar sections under the BP Highway.

“The road is being built at a height of eight metres above the riverbed. We have already completed sections where vehicles can safely operate at a height of around three and a half metres without flood disruption,” he said. “Work will continue during the monsoon unless problems arise. If flooding occurs, work will be halted, and traffic will be diverted to the new track.”

For now, the road will remain at the gravel level. Before the floods, the highway was built along the banks of the Roshi river, which caused the most severe damage during the disaster.

Yogesh said blacktopping of the new track will be completed before the monsoon next fiscal year. The process to build the remaining permanent bridges on the highway will also begin in the next fiscal year.

In the Sindhuli section, the road has also been prepared for monsoon traffic. Although some work is still ongoing, the Road Division Office, Khalte, Sindhuli, said arrangements have been made to allow traffic to resume immediately if flooding occurs.

The flood in September 2024 damaged a 30.5 km stretch from Bhakunde Besi to Nepalthok. The section has been divided into four packages (three in Kavre and one in Sindhuli) for reconstruction under separate contracts.

The 11 km Bhakunde Besi–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 Rs1.22 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 Rs688 million.

The Barkhekhola–Nepalthok 5 km section in Sindhuli has been awarded to Kharidhunga–Ghisung–Kshitiz JV. All sections are required to be completed within two years of contract signing.

The highway, which connects the eastern Tarai, sees daily traffic of 3,000 to 4,000 vehicles. During the Dashain festival period, this rises to over 7,000 vehicles per day. After floodwaters washed away river diversions, contractors responsible for each section have been repairing and restoring traffic flow.