The 158-kilometer BP Highway, which starts from Dhulikhel of Kavre, is one of the preferred routes for Kathmanduites travelling to the eastern part of the country.

But to reach the BP Highway, one has to first cross the Suryabinayak–Dhulikhel Road—an experience that has long been difficult for drivers and passengers alike.

Now, with the road under expansion, conditions have deteriorated even further. The demolition work has turned the stretch into a dusty track during the dry season and a muddy mess during rainfall. Commuters, particularly in Bhaktapur, are bearing the brunt of the disruption.

The 15.8-kilometre road, connecting Bhaktapur and Kavre, is being widened to four lanes and divided into two sections. However, progress has been slow, with only 47 percent of the work completed in the 29 months since construction began.

The first section, from Suryavinayak to Sanga (7.5 km), is being built by Ashish/Kumar Shrestha/Bandhan Bhagwati JV under a contract worth Rs3.88 billion.

Awarded on January 8, 2023, this section has a completion deadline of January 11, 2026. But only 37 percent of the work has been completed so far. According to engineer Bishnu Prasad Khanal, monsoon rains are expected to further delay progress.

The second section, from Sanga to Dhulikhel (8.3 km), is under construction by Lama Construction, which secured the Rs4.05 billion contract on November 27, 2022.

Only about one kilometre of this section has been blacktopped in Dhulikhel. So far, 48 percent of the work has been completed. The deadline for this section is November 27, 2025, the project said.

Here are some photos taken by the Post’s photojournalist Hemanta Shrestha.