SINDHULI, Feb 21: Transportation along the BP Highway has finally resumed from Tuesday morning after a diversion was created to ease vehicular movement following the collapse of a section of the road almost two days ago.
Vehicular movement had come to a standstill on Monday after a road section between Khurkot and Nepalthok along the highway connecting Dhulikhel-Sindhuli-Bardibas collapsed overnight and fell down into the Sunkoshi River.
The road section had been weakened by the devastating earthquake of 2015. As the road was not repaired on time, it plunged some 36 meters below into the river. Many passengers remained stranded for a day until they started heading toward their destinations from Tuesday.
Immediately after the road collapse, Chief District Officer Tara Bahadur Karki ordered the security forces to open the highway. Under the initiative of the CDO, the road was opened on Monday evening and the vehicular movement resumed since Tuesday.
According to the police, only one-way traffic has resumed along the road as vehicles from both sides take turns to cross the road section. Efforts are on to expand the road section, according to the concerned authorities.
Heavy vehicles have been prohibited from travelling along the highway for the time being. Although only 45 meters of the road section had caved in initially, an additional five meters of road fell of the cliff later on.
Many road sections of the highway are on the verge of collapse due to the movement of heavy vehicles.
According to the police, six wheelers like trucks have been found moving along the highway without route permit which said to be one of the major reasons for the damage. It has been found that around 1,500 vehicles travel along the highway on a daily basis, exceeding the limit of the highway.
Vehicular movement along Jaya Prithvi Highway resumes
