Nepal upgrades alternative route to Prithvi Highway after landslide
In Nepal, authorities have begun upgrading an alternative road on the opposite bank of the Trishuli River from the Prithvi Highway after a section in Krishnabhir subsided. Traffic on the main road artery between Kathmandu and much of central and western Nepal was interrupted for nearly two weeks, The Kathmandu Post reports.
On August 26, floods in Bhotekoshi caused the Trishuli’s water level to rise, and on August 30, about 300 meters of the Prithvi Highway in the Krishnabhir area subsided. Vehicles heading to Kathmandu are being redirected via alternative routes. The highway carries passengers, food and other essential goods to Nepal’s capital.
Work between Benighat and Phisling
Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal said improvement work on the road between Benighat and Phisling has already begun. Authorities plan to connect roads leading to bridges in these settlements and pave the route by the Dashain festival. To do this, roads previously built by provincial and local authorities are to be improved, while new passages are to be arranged on certain sections.
According to Bijay Jaisi, director general of the Department of Roads, narrow sections may be widened, dangerous bends corrected and gravel surfacing added to restore connectivity. He also said the department is studying long-term options for bypassing Krishnabhir: building two tunnels of approximately 500 meters each or bridges across the Trishuli.
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A project that was not implemented
Detailed studies of a parallel road were carried out in 2018 for the 12.4-km Sisne–Dharke section and the 15.3-km Bishaltar–Phisling section. However, construction did not begin because of the high cost of acquiring private land and compensating homeowners.
The estimate projected that construction of the Sisne–Dharke section would cost 4.3 billion Nepalese rupees, of which 1.75 billion rupees would be spent on land and compensation. The Bishaltar–Phisling section was estimated at 6.05 billion rupees. The study report burned during Gen Z protests, and the Department of Roads is looking for its digital copy.
Krishnabhir has been considered a landslide-prone section for decades. A major landslide there on August 11, 2000, blocked the highway for 11 days. Alternative roads are currently unable to accommodate the entire traffic flow: a trip from Hetauda to Kathmandu, which usually takes about three hours, can take more than five hours because of congestion.
