Prithvi Highway Remains Blocked, Alternative Routes to Kathmandu Available

Vehicular movement along the Prithvi Highway remains disrupted today following a major landslide at Krishna Bhir, with several alternative routes being used to maintain connectivity with Kathmandu.

The landslide swept away a section of the highway yesterday, bringing traffic along the affected Muglin–Kathmandu section to a complete halt. Authorities have indicated that restoring the damaged section could take at least a month.

Following the disruption, the District Administration Office, Makwanpur, issued a traffic management advisory yesterday, outlining alternative routes for vehicles travelling towards Kathmandu.

• According to the advisory, all cargo vehicles have been requested to use Kanti Lokpath, travelling from Hetauda to Kathmandu via Makwanpur Gadhi.
• Similarly, passenger vehicles with more than 14 seats have been directed to use Tribhuvan Rajpath, via Daman and Naubise, to travel to Kathmandu and return through the same route. 
• Passenger vehicles with a capacity of up to 14 seats have been advised to use the Bhimfedi–Deurali route, via Kulekhani, for travel to and from Kathmandu.

In addition to these routes, alternative roads have also been arranged for vehicles travelling to Kathmandu from western parts of the country and for smaller vehicles.

Small and medium-sized four-wheelers can travel from Fisling through Agridanda, Toman danda, Bantaar, Dalbhanjyang, Raniswara, Thulo darbung, Darbung Phant and Siurenitar before reaching Benighat. The alternative stretch is around 32 km and can be used to continue towards Kathmandu. 

For motorcycles, an alternative route is available from ahead of Majhimtar via the suspension bridge at Jyamireghat, Siurenitar and Benighat before continuing towards Kathmandu.

Meanwhile, vehicles travelling to Kathmandu from Kaski, Lamjung and Tanahun can use a route through Gorkha Bazaar, Bunkot, Namjung, Fuzel and Darbung–Siurenitar, before reaching Benighat and continuing towards Kathmandu.

The administration has also requested travellers to avoid journeys towards Kathmandu unless necessary and urged people not to travel with vehicles except in urgent circumstances.

For vehicles using Tribhuvan Rajpath, a separate movement schedule has been specified. Vehicles travelling from Kathmandu towards Hetauda are required to reach Hetauda by 1:00 am, while vehicles travelling from Hetauda towards Kathmandu are permitted to depart only after 1:00 am.

Drivers using all alternative routes have been asked to maintain patience and discipline, operate vehicles according to their turn, avoid overtaking and strictly follow instructions from traffic police and security personnel deployed for traffic management.

Meanwhile, according to reports, an on-site inspection of the damaged section found that the scale of the landslide could require at least one month to restore the road.

Nepal Drives requests travellers to call the Traffic Police hotline at 103 to check the latest road conditions before starting their journey.