NAWALPUR: The Narayangadh-Butwal section of the East-West Highway, which is currently undergoing expansion, is becoming easier for travel.

The Narayangadh-Butwal Road Project has stated that the highway, except for the Daunne area, has become smooth for travel in other places along the 113-kilometer stretch.

According to Engineer Shiva Khanal, Information Officer for the project’s eastern section, road expansion work is currently ongoing in 11 different locations along the road.

He says that transportation has become easy in all areas except for about two kilometers on the eastern side and about five kilometers on the western side of the Daunne section.

Stating that the highway has been made easier even in the Daunne section by removing dust, he informed that work is currently underway for preparing various bridges for operation, blacktopping the service lanes, and blacktopping the main highway, among others.

“Work is progressing rapidly to make the Daunne section easier as well,” he said, adding, “The entire highway will become easy by this winter, after which we will focus on other road expansion works.”

Khanal says that out of the 22 small and 12 large bridges to be constructed in this section, all bridges except two large ones in Arun Khola and Chormara have been completed.

He stated that work is underway to blacktop the opposite side where one side is finished, construct service lanes in areas where both sides are blacktopped, build dividers in the middle of the road, and smooth out damaged sections of the road.

Engineer Rakesh Jha, the Contract Manager for China State Engineering Corporation Limited, which was awarded the road expansion contract, said that it now takes two and a half hours to travel from Narayanghat to Butwal.

“Compared to the past, the road has become extremely easy. We can reach Narayangadh from Butwal in two and a half hours on a public bus,” he said. “We are deployed in the field with the preparation to complete the road construction within the extended deadline.”

He added that although work has slowed down slightly during the Tihar festival, the pace of road expansion will pick up after Chhath.

He mentioned that work is currently ongoing in places like Gaindakot, Devchuli, Chormara, and Daunne

.Highlighting that two-way blacktopping is underway in the Gaindakot area, Jha informed that work is being done to construct the central road divider in places where two-way blacktopping has been completed.

“The construction of bridge railings is progressing in some places, and road finishing and service lane construction have also started in others,” he said.

“In the hills of Daunne, work is underway on concrete casting to ease the road, dust removal, and construction of retaining walls along the road edge,” he added.

Drivers say that while it used to take up to seven hours to cross this road this time last year, traffic is much smoother now.

Sangam Lamsal of Gaindakot, who drives on the Narayangadh-Butwal road, said that the easy road allows passengers to reach their destination on time.

“Last year, it used to take more than seven hours to cross this road, and the vehicle would require servicing after a one-way trip,” he said. “That problem has now been resolved, and the easy road has even reduced vehicle maintenance costs.”

It is stated that after the expansion of this road, which is being upgraded to Asian Highway standards, the 113-kilometer distance from Narayangadh to Butwal will be shortened to 90 minutes.

Out of the budget of Rs 17 billion for the four-lane expansion, 85 percent of the funds have been provided by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) as a loan at 1.5 percent interest.

The road expansion work started in February 2018 with a target of completion in July 2022, and the fourth-time extended deadline is set to expire in July of the coming year.