Vehicles were allowed to cross Krishnabhir along the Prithvi Highway on Sunday in a trial run, 11 days after work began to restore the highway through the landslide-prone section, officials said.

Around 20 vehicles, including a gas tanker and heavy freight trucks that had been stranded, were allowed through after a temporary track was made passable, according to Sahadev Khadka, vice-president of the Federation of Contractors’ Associations of Nepal.

The trial passage included a gas tanker travelling from Kathmandu towards Chitwan and was intended to test whether the newly opened track could safely handle traffic.

The route is not yet ready for regular traffic. Further grading and improvement work remains, and authorities say it will take several more days before vehicles can use the route routinely.

“If there are no further problems, we expect to allow two-way traffic from Thursday,” said Bijaya Jaishi, director general of the Department of Roads.

The new track has been cut above the section of road washed away by flooding in the Trishuli river on August 26. The Department of Roads has deployed technical teams to work on restoring and improving the damaged section.

A diversion track was opened on September 5, seven days after the road was washed away, as authorities sought to restore a link along the highway.