Journey becomes difficult on BP Highway after floods cut road connection

Kavrepalanchok: Travel along the BP Highway has become extremely difficult after floods and landslides triggered by heavy rains on October 4 and 5 washed away several sections of the road in the Roshi area of Kavrepalanchok.

The Bhakunde–Nepalthok stretch remains completely blocked, forcing passengers to walk along riverbanks, cliffs, and ravines for hours to reach their destinations. Many who had returned home for Dashain are stranded as even rural roads are impassable. Only the section from Dhulikhel to Chowkidanda is open to vehicles.

Pedestrians say the journey to the highway checkpoint is perilous. “We had to crawl over cliffs where no road exists,” said Rajendra Shrestha of Bhimkhori, who reached Banepa on Tuesday. “Women, children, and the elderly are suffering greatly.” Security personnel are helping travelers and carrying patients on stretchers, though many fear falling into the river.

Around 2,000 people have crossed the damaged section on foot in the past three days, according to local police. The District Traffic Office said a 20-kilometer portion between Chowkidanda and Nepalthok is fully closed, with landslides damaging 17 spots.

The Division Road Office, Bhaktapur, has begun building temporary diversions as water levels in the Roshi River recede. River flow is being redirected to reconstruct sections of the highway washed away by floods last year and again last weekend.

Engineer Bindu Adhikari said temporary road construction has started at several points between Chowkidanda and Sindhuli, as the original road was completely swept away. Similarly, the Sindhuli Division Road Office has begun diversion work from Nepalthok using excavators.

The government is also preparing to award contracts for permanent reconstruction in four damaged sections. The BP Highway is a vital route linking eastern Nepal, carrying thousands of vehicles daily.