CHITWAN, April 15 : The Daunne section of the Narayanghat–Butwal road corridor will remain closed during nighttime hours starting Monday, as authorities ramp up efforts to accelerate road expansion works in the hilly terrain.
According to Shiva Khanal, Information Officer at the Narayanghat–Butwal Road Expansion Project, vehicular movement along the Daunne stretch will be restricted daily from 11 pm to 5 am until April 28. The decision follows unsatisfactory progress during previous daytime closures.
“Cutting work on the hilly terrain of Daunne remains incomplete. It is not possible to continue the work safely without stopping traffic in these narrow sections,” said Khanal, “We are aiming to complete the wall-cutting work within 15 days by suspending night traffic.”
Bardaghat-Daunne road section to remain closed throughout Tuesd...
Earlier, the road was closed to traffic from April 9 to 13 between 11 am and 3 pm to facilitate construction. However, due to limited productivity during those hours, the project management opted to shift construction work to nighttime.
The Daunne hill section spans 13 kilometers, and construction of a three-lane road is currently underway. According to engineers, the topography and design complexity have made construction particularly challenging. “There are 70 culverts in the Daunne area alone. Had it been a four-lane road, we could have worked on two lanes while keeping the other two operational. But with only three lanes, simultaneous excavation and traffic flow is not feasible,” Khanal said.
During the night closures, freight vehicles from the east will be halted at Chormara–Arun Khola, while passenger vehicles will stop at Dumkibas bazaar. Similarly, freight vehicles from the west will be stopped at Jyamire and Hakui, while passenger buses will be held at Bardaghat–Chisapani section.
In addition to the Daunne section, routine maintenance will also be carried out along the hill stretch between Bardaghat (West Nawalparasi) and Dumkibas (East Nawalparasi) during this period. However, recent rainfall has left the area muddy and may pose additional challenges for both construction and traffic management.
The expansion of the Narayanghat–Butwal highway is being carried out with loan assistance from the Asian Development Bank (ADB). The 113-kilometer road has been divided into two sections for construction purposes: Gaindakot–Daunne (64.42 km) contracted at Rs 9.13 billion and the Daunne–Butwal (48.58 km) contracted at Rs 7.86 billion.
The entire project is being executed by China State Construction Engineering Corporation, which secured both contracts. The government initially signed the contract on March 22, 2019.
Despite multiple deadline extensions, including in August 2022, July 2023, and August 2024, the project is still only 63 percent complete, according to project officials. The most recent extension mandates that the project be completed by July 24, 2025.
