Nighttime traffic on BP Highway section banned for another month amid flood and landslide risks
Heavy rains trigger damage and landslide threats, prompting extended restrictions to ensure commuter safety on key highway stretch. Vehicles run on a temporary track prepared by filling boulders and aggregate on the foot of a cliff in Kavre in this recent photo. After the floods devastated the road last year, vehicles had been using the flattened riverbed but the recent floods washed it away. As monsoon picks up, concerns grow about the condition of the BP Highway, which provides Kathmandu’s shortest link to eastern Tarai. Hemanta Shrestha/TKP
Kavrepalanchok authorities have extended the nighttime ban on passenger and private vehicles on the BP highway for another month amid persistent flood and landslide threats.
The district security committee decided to restrict movement on the highway from 6:30pm to 5am until August first week, Assistant Chief District Officer Sudarshan Shrestha said on Friday.
The decision follows an earlier 15-day ban imposed on June 20 after a joint security coordination meeting involving Kavre, Sindhuli, and Ramechhap districts cited risks posed by monsoon-related floods and landslides.
The highway section between Kavre Bhanjyang and Khurkot has been damaged by heavy rains. Landslides have obstructed roadways and caused soil erosion, officials said.
Repair works are underway but remain incomplete, with several vulnerable points making nighttime travel unsafe, Shrestha added.
The district administration has urged commuters to use the highway only during daylight hours and said it is mobilising resources for full road restoration.
The ban has caused disruptions to transport services but officials maintain it is necessary to ensure public safety.
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