Kathmandu, October 22: Travel along the Narayanghat–Butwal section of the East-West Highway has become significantly smoother as expansion work nears completion, according to the project office. Out of the 113-kilometer stretch, all areas except Daunne are now easily passable.

Engineer Shiva Khanal, information officer for the project’s eastern section, said road expansion is currently underway at 11 sites, with most sections already accessible. “Work on Daunne is progressing rapidly. The highway should be fully smooth by this winter, after which we’ll focus on finishing touches like blacktopping and divider construction,” Khanal stated.

Out of 34 bridges planned (22 small and 12 large), all except Arunkhola and Chormara have been completed. Work is ongoing to finish the remaining bridges, service lanes, dividers, and other infrastructure improvements.

According to Engineer Rakesh Jha of China State Engineering Corporation Ltd., the project’s contractor, travel time between Narayanghat and Butwal has now been reduced to around two and a half hours. “The road is much smoother than before. After Chhath festival, we’ll accelerate construction to complete the project within the extended deadline,” he said.

Drivers report that what once took up to seven hours now takes less than three, saving both time and vehicle maintenance costs.

The 113-km four-lane highway is being upgraded to Asian Highway standards with a total budget of Rs. 17 billion, of which 85% is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a loan at 1.5% interest.

Construction, which began in January 2019 (Magh 2075 BS) and was originally scheduled to finish by July 2022 (Shrawan 2079 BS), has been extended four times and is now expected to be completed by July 2026 (Shrawan 2083 BS).

Once fully operational, the improved highway will cut travel time between Narayanghat and Butwal to just 90 minutes.

People’s News Monitoring Service.