The Daunne section of the East-West Highway, blocked for 21 hours, reopened to one-way traffic on Friday afternoon. Travellers stranded since Thursday resumed their journeys after the partial reopening at around 2:15pm.

Superintendent of Police Yadav Dhakal, chief of the District Police Office, Nawalparasi East, said police were deployed to assist with repairs and manage traffic flow.

The road had been closed since 5pm on Thursday after light rain turned the unpaved uphill stretch near Daunne into a muddy, slippery mess. The lack of blacktopping on the section under repair made the road impassable even with minimal rainfall. Multiple vehicles got stuck, causing a tailback on both sides of the hill.

To manage the congestion, police halted trucks and long-route vehicles up to 38 kilometres away in Rajhar, Pragtinagar, and Kawasoti. With hundreds stranded in the forested area of the Narayanghat–Butwal section, many travellers were left without access to food or drinking water overnight.

Passengers also complained of worsening congestion due to reckless driving and aggressive overtaking, which led to several traffic jams along the highway.

The Daunne stretch is frequently disrupted by rain due to poor drainage and unfinished surfacing, making it hazardous even during light showers.

Vehicular movement along the section has been suspended daily from 11am to 3pm until April 13 to facilitate road expansion. From April 14, the road will be closed nightly from 11pm to 5am for 15 days.

The Narayanghat–Butwal road section, which includes the 14-kilometre Daunne hill stretch, is currently under expansion. Over 18,000 vehicles use the route daily. Travel time through this stretch now exceeds three hours, worsened by heavy dust and repeated traffic jams.