Road expansion along Araniko Highway to resume after monsoon

Kavrepalanchowk: The road expansion work on the Sanga-Dhulikhel section of the Araniko Highway has been temporarily halted due to the ongoing monsoon. According to the Suryabinayak-Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas Road Project, construction activities will resume once the monsoon ends.

However, progress has also been hindered for the past four months in the Pulbazaar area due to protests from local residents. The expansion work has not moved forward in a 200-meter stretch where locals have expressed reservations.

Project engineer Bishnu Prasad Khanal said that although several discussions have been held with stakeholders, including municipal representatives and local residents, no concrete solution has been reached. As a result of the obstruction, key activities such as the demolition of houses and huts, removal of high-tension electric poles, and installation of new poles have been stalled.

The six-lane road expansion from Suryabinayak, Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel, Kavrepalanchowk is also unlikely to be completed within the initial deadline. With roughly six months remaining before the project’s scheduled completion, progress remains behind target.

The 16-kilometer expansion project was divided into two sections—Suryabinayak to Sanga and Sanga to Dhulikhel. According to project officials, only about 50 percent of the construction has been completed so far.

Project’s Senior Divisional Engineer and Information Officer Sajana Adhikari said that physical progress is expected to reach around 65 percent by the end of the deadline. She cited local resistance and other challenges as key reasons for the delay.