The Kanti Rajpath from Lalitpur’s Tika Bhairab to Tinpane Bhanjyang, Bhattedanda, Kalche, Bagua and Makwanpur’s Thingan en route to Hetauda will be closed for 45 days.
Kanti Rajpath will be closed from March 14 to April 27 for road-widening works in the Kalche section of Lalitpur, said Engineer Rabindra Maharjan of Kanti Highway Road Planning.
“For maintenance purposes, the Kalche to Bagua section will be closed from March 14 to April 27, between 10 am to 5 pm. This entails widening approximately 1.5 km of the narrow road segment. We estimate a 45-day timeframe for completion,” he stated.
During a meeting on February 28 that was chaired by Lalitpur’s Chief District Officer Tulsi Bahadur Shrestha, it was decided to halt vehicular movement from 10 am to 5 pm for the construction of chainage cutting in the Kalche section. The meeting also resolved to ensure the smooth operation of ambulances and other essential services along the Kanti Highway section.
Engineer Maharjan highlighted that about five kilometers of the road linking Kathmandu to Hetauda, which was initiated in 2013 BS, remains unpaved. The road construction has lingered for 67 years due to the lack of government priority and sluggish progress by previous contractors.
The Kanti Rajmarga (highway) spans 92 km from Buddha Chowk, Hetauda, to Satdobato, Lalitpur. The project will cover the construction of the 79 km section of the road from Buddha Chowk to Tika Bhairav. The Road Division Office Lalitpur is tasked with completing the remaining section.
Despite the division office completing the widening work from Tika Bhairab to Chapagaun bus park, the road could not be expanded in the Thecho and Sunakothi areas due to local structures obstructing the process. In 2076 BS, the government decided to widen the road section from Tika Bhairab to Chhampi, Bhaisepati to Nakhkhu. While the road has been widened up to Bhaisepati, the Tika Bhairab section of Chhampi is still pending expansion.
