CHITWAN: Travel along the long-troubled Narayangadh–Butwal highway has improved significantly, with motorists now completing the 113-kilometre journey in around two hours as the road expansion project nears completion.
The highway, which has been under construction for nearly seven years, was once notorious for massive traffic jams, particularly at Daunne, where travellers were often stranded for hours—or even overnight—during the monsoon and festive seasons.
Private vehicle users say the journey now takes between 1 hour 30 minutes and two hours, while public buses are completing the trip in about three hours despite passenger stops.
According to project engineer Shiva Khanal, around 92% of construction has been completed, with only road safety works and drainage installation remaining at a few locations.
The Narayangadh–Butwal Road Expansion Project, valued at approximately Rs 16.99 billion, is financed by an 85% concessional loan from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and 15% by the Government of Nepal.
The project, being constructed by China’s China State Construction Engineering Corporation, began in March 2019 and has missed several completion deadlines.
The highway has been widened from two lanes to four lanes, while sections passing through urban areas have been expanded to six lanes, substantially improving traffic flow on one of Nepal’s busiest east-west transport corridors.
