B.P. Koirala Highway
| B.P. Koirala Highway | |
|---|---|
| बीपी राजमार्ग | |
 | |
| Major junctions | |
| From: | Dhulikhel |
| To: | Bardibas |
| Location | |
| Primary destinations: | Dhulikhel, Dumja, Mangaltar |
| Highway system | |
| Roads in Nepal | |
The B.P. Koirala Highway, also known as the Banepa Bardibas Highway, is a highway in eastern Nepal. It links Kathmandu Valley with the Eastern Terai region. It is named after the former leader of Nepal, Bishweshwar Prasad Koirala.
Route
This route is vitally important in that it is the only major eastbound exit from highly populated and quake-prone Kathmandu Valley; it is critical to be completed for emergency evacuation and relief purposes.[1] Currently, Kathmandu relies solely upon one congested westward "highway" for its road links to the south: India, the Terai region, and Bangladesh. The capital region has no rail or navigable river links. Despite this, the highway criss-crosses through mountain regions with hairpin turns of widths of one bus wide in numerous areas.
The entire highway from Kathmandu to Bardibas via Dhulikhel had a project completion date of 2011, for a total of 158 km.[2] It now is projected to be finished in March 2015[3] The reasons for the delay include Japanese contractors lack of security for explosives, thus the road was created with manual labor, which later there was an admission that this was a mistake.,[4] as well as parliament gridlock. This alternate route will reduce the journey from Kathmandu to Bardibas and other cities east of Bardibas by at least 200 km.[5]
The highway has existed in stages for decades, with large unimproved portions. The 37 km section of the lowlands between Bardibas and Sindhuli has been in operation for many years, the 50 km section between Banepa and Nepalthok of Bagmati region was completed in 2005 with Japanese grant money.[1] However, a major part linking the two improved regions was only completed in February 2009, funded with Japanese loans and contractors.
References
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