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Travel along most of the Pokhara-Muglin section of the Prithvi Highway, which is currently undergoing expansion, has become significantly easier. The 90-kilometre journey between Pokhara and Muglin can now be completed in about two hours. Travel time for public transport has also decreased, while private vehicles are making the trip even faster.

The Pokhara-Ambukhaireni section of the Pokhara-Muglin road was divided into two packages for expansion. The 80-kilometre stretch between Pokhara and Ambukhaireni was split into an eastern section (Ambukhaireni-Jamune, 41 km) and a western section (Jamune-Pokhara, nearly 39 km).

Although construction of several large bridges along the highway remains incomplete, travellers now encounter only short stretches of unpaved and one-way roads.

Project officials say efforts are underway to improve travel conditions by blacktopping at least one side of the road in areas where full dual carriageway paving has not yet been completed. Blacktopping work on the eastern section was completed last year, with only the construction of a large bridge in Damauli remaining.

Bridge construction is progressing rapidly in Damauli, and travellers currently need to use only a short stretch of old, unpaved road in the area because of the ongoing bridge work. Apart from that, work on the eastern section has been completed.

Krishna Kunwar, chief engineer of the western section of the Pokhara-Muglin Road Project, said travel has become much easier as most of the western section has already been blacktopped.

According to Kunwar, first-layer asphalt paving has been completed on 38 kilometres of the total 38.71-kilometre road section. Second-layer blacktopping has been completed on 37.28 kilometres.

Similarly, 20.86 kilometres of the planned 36.32-kilometre two-lane service road have been completed. All 12 bridges in the section have been built, while all 105 culverts have been completed. Of the planned 60.50 kilometres of drainage, 60.14 kilometres have already been constructed.

Only 15 kilometres of the planned 77 kilometres of road safety barriers (W-beam guardrails) have been installed. Kunwar said installation of the remaining barriers is currently underway and is expected to be completed within a month.

Kathmandu Road Division Office starts blacktopping road demolis...

“Physical progress has reached nearly 80 percent. Travel has already become much easier for road users,” Kunwar said. “For the entire project to be completed, bridge construction must also be finished. Some sections remain unpaved because of bridge-related work.”

According to him, only 500 metres of one-sided road construction remain - 400 metres at the approach to the Bijaypur Bridge and another 100 metres near Pokhara University.

Project officials said blacktopping of the four-lane road will be completed once these remaining sections are paved. Construction near the university remains pending because a retaining wall must first be built.

“Travellers are already experiencing a much smoother journey,” Kunwar said. “Travel time has been reduced considerably. Although project work remains unfinished, most of the inconvenience faced by travellers has already been eliminated.”

Of the nearly 39-kilometre western section, about 19 kilometres will be expanded into six lanes, while the remaining stretch will have four lanes. Kunwar said the larger urban areas along the route are the reason for the six-lane design.

Expansion of the western section began on May 17, 2021. Under the original agreement, the highway expansion was supposed to be completed within three years of the contract signing. Following multiple deadline extensions, all project work must now be completed by June 29, 2026.

“We have time only until June 29, but continuous rainfall in Pokhara means we will likely fall short of completing all remaining work,” he said. “At least another six months will be required.”

He added that rising diesel prices triggered by conflicts in the Middle East have also affected construction activities.

“Otherwise, we would have been much closer to completion by now,” he said.

“Even where only one side has been completed, the two-lane arrangement allows traffic in both directions,” Kunwar added. “As a result, travellers in the western section now need to use unpaved or old roads for no more than half a kilometre. Travel has become significantly easier. Our current priority is completing blacktopping so that commuters can travel comfortably.”

The Pokhara-Muglin section of the Prithvi Highway, which connects Nepal’s tourism capital Pokhara with the country’s major cities, had become heavily disrupted during the expansion process. Slow construction progress had turned travel into a difficult and frustrating experience for road users.

Project officials said they prioritized blacktopping to ensure easier travel while construction continues.

The deteriorated road condition had drawn widespread criticism. Tourism stakeholders in Gandaki Province repeatedly complained that the poor condition of the highway was harming the tourism industry.

Business groups organized site visits and submitted memorandums to construction companies, urging them to speed up the work. At one point, the three-hour journey between Pokhara and Ambukhaireni was taking nearly twice as long because of construction-related disruptions.

China Communications Construction Company secured the contract for the eastern section, while Chinese firm Anhui Kaiyuan Road and Bridge Company is responsible for the western section.

The road is being upgraded from a two-lane highway to a wider and higher-standard four-lane road with concessional loan support from the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The total investment for the highway expansion stands at Rs 13.61 billion. According to project officials, Rs 6.21 billion has been allocated for the Ambukhaireni-Jamune eastern section, while Rs 7.40 billion is being spent on the Jamune-Pokhara western section.

These costs cover road expansion only. In addition, Rs 1.20 billion is being spent on constructing a bridge over the Madi River in Damauli, while another Rs 1.07 billion is allocated for a bridge over the Seti River in Pokhara.

Overall, more than Rs 15 billion is being spent on the highway upgrade project.

According to engineers, the highway will have six lanes in urban and market areas. These sections will be between 41 and 45 metres wide, while other stretches will consist of four lanes with widths ranging from 21 to 22 metres.

The project also includes roadside drainage systems on both sides and a three-metre-wide central divider. Officials said the divider will also be landscaped and beautified.

At present, the Prithvi Highway remains the main road link connecting Gandaki Province’s capital region with Nepal’s southern plains.

By Santosh Pokharel