Authorities in Nawalparasi East have deployed security personnel round-the-clock to guard the dilapidated Girubari Bridge at Chormara along the East-West Highway after it suffered damage earlier this year under the weight of overloaded trucks. Officials say the measure is a must to prevent further deterioration until a new bridge—currently under construction as part of the Butwal-Narayanghat road expansion project—is completed.

The Girubari Bridge partially collapsed on May 13 due to overloading, disrupting one of the busiest highways in the country. The Department of Roads (DoR) repaired it and reopened it for traffic on June 7. However, engineers say the bridge remains too fragile to bear the load of heavy vehicles.

“The structure was propped up with temporary supports. It can safely handle light and medium vehicles, but allowing overloaded trucks would be disastrous,” said Shiva Khanal, information officer at the Butwal-Narayanghat Road Expansion Project (Eastern Section).

To protect the weakened structure, police and road division officials have been stationed on both sides of the bridge to monitor vehicle weights. “We have been screening cargo trucks 24 hours a day. If a vehicle exceeds the permitted load, it must unload the excess before crossing,” said Inspector Mohan Khadka of the Nawalparasi East District Police Office. “Both the Girubari Bridge at Choramara and the Arun Khola Bridge are under constant watch because they cannot withstand the stress of heavy vehicles.”

According to the local road division office, only vehicles weighing up to 40 tonnes are currently permitted to cross at a time. Notices have been pasted at both ends warning drivers against overloading. “Security forces are on duty day and night to ensure compliance,” said Khadka.

This is not the first bridge collapse along the busy Butwal-Narayanghat stretch of the East-West Highway that connects mid-western and far-western parts of the country. In January 2025, the Binayi Khola Bridge at Dumkibas collapsed under similar circumstances, forcing months-long diversions. The bridge remains under repair, while vehicles are currently using an adjacent new structure built under the expansion project.

According to experts, the aging bridges along the 114-kilometre long Butwal-Narayanghat 113-kilometre section of the highway—many of them truss bridges built more than 50 years ago—were never designed for today’s heavy traffic. “Most of these bridges were built when vehicles were lighter and traffic volume was low,” said engineer Khanal. “Now, we see nearly 10,000 vehicles a day, including container trucks carrying loads four times heavier than the bridges were designed to handle.”

The problem is compounded by overloaded Indian cargo trucks entering Nepal, often exceeding permissible weight limits. Enforcement has remained weak, with violators typically facing only minor fines. “Custom-sealed containers cannot be opened for unloading by traffic police, and Nepal’s weighing stations can measure only up to 100 tonnes,” an engineer at the Department of Roads said, requesting anonymity. “As a result, overloaded trucks continue to damage old bridges and newly built roads alike.”

The Butwal-Narayanghat expansion project, a critical component of the East-West Highway upgrade supported by the Asian Development Bank, aims to replace outdated two-lane bridges with modern four-lane ones. However, construction delays and monsoon disruptions have slowed progress. Until the new Girubari Bridge is completed, the government plans to maintain the 24-hour security presence and strict weight monitoring regime.

“Repairing old bridges while building new ones is a huge logistical challenge,” Khanal said. “But ensuring that no more collapses occur is now our top priority. The safety of thousands of commuters depends on it.”