KATHMANDU: The eastern section of the Narayanghat-Butwal Road Project under the East-West Highway has completed all pavement work. The project has finished both asphalt paving, including the binder and wearing courses, and concrete pavement on the 65-km Narayanghat-Daunne section.
The milestone comes seven years after construction began. According to the project office, the eastern section has also completed bridge construction. Overall physical progress of the project reached 92.38 percent by the end of June 2026.
Only minor finishing works remain on the eastern section. These include landscaping and planting flowers along the road divider.
The project also marked another milestone in biodiversity conservation. Nepal’s first overhead canopy bridge for monkeys has been built at Pitoji (KM 9+120). The structure is designed to help wildlife safely cross the highway. Similar canopy bridges may be constructed at other suitable locations after evaluating its effectiveness.
Work on the western section between Daunne and Butwal is also nearing completion. Around 50 meters of concrete pavement remains to be completed at the landslide-prone area below Daunne Temple. One side of the road in this section has already been completed and is open to traffic.
Project Director Chudaraj Dhakal of the Department of Roads’ Project Directorate (ADB) said the concrete pavement was selected for the Daunne section because of its challenging terrain and heavy traffic.
He said the concrete road has a designed service life of at least 30 years. If axle load limits and other design standards are properly maintained, the pavement could last between 30 and 40 years.
