Arniko Highway Expansion: Construction Slows Due to Material Shortage and Price Hikes; Only 70 Percent Progress Achieved

Kavrepalanchok — The expansion of the Arniko Highway section from Suryabinayak in Bhaktapur to Dhulikhel in Kavrepalanchok into six lanes has achieved only 70 percent physical progress. According to construction companies, the work, which began approximately three years ago, has slowed due to shortages of construction materials, price hikes, and adverse market conditions.

According to the Suryabinayak–Dhulikhel, Dhulikhel–Sindhuli–Bardibas Road Project, while 70 percent physical progress has been achieved so far, the pace of construction has slowed over the past one and a half months. Construction companies have reduced the speed of work citing continuous price increases, shortages of construction materials, and difficult market conditions.

Rabindra Shrestha, Manager of LAMA Construction, stated that the pace of work has slowed because construction material prices have risen abnormally recently, making necessary materials unavailable easily. He demanded that the government immediately declare a “Construction Holiday” and make a decision on price adjustment. According to him, construction entrepreneurs have attempted to bring bitumen (raw material for paving roads) and other essential materials from India but have not succeeded.

Approximately 70 percent of work on the Sanga–Dhulikhel section has been completed, while only 48 percent of work has been completed on the Suryabinayak–Sanga section from Bhaktapur to Kavrepalanchok. The target had been to complete 90 percent of the work by the end of Asar (mid-July) of the current fiscal year. After the project deadline expired, an additional one-year extension was granted in the last week of Mangsir (early December) to accelerate the work. However, the work has again slowed due to material shortages.

Meanwhile, Deepak Gautam, Chief of the District Coordination Committee, Kavrepalanchok, said that with the rainy season having begun, the risk at construction sites may increase further, and urged construction companies to focus on preparedness. Chief District Officer Gopal Adhikari has instructed for immediate management, noting that dust when it does not rain, and mud and slipperiness after rain, have been causing great difficulty for passengers and locals.

Vijay Kumar Mahato, Chief of the Suryabinayak–Dhulikhel Road Project, admitted that it has become difficult to complete the work within the stipulated timeframe. He informed that efforts are being made through government agencies to solve problems in the construction sector, and the process has been initiated to facilitate the supply of bitumen from India.

The highway section, which originally had two lanes, is being expanded to six lanes, with two service lanes on each side and a 2.5-meter footpath under construction. An underpass is being constructed in the Sanga area, while wall construction and filling work is ongoing in the Chandeswari river area of Banepa, according to the project. After the expansion of this section, traffic management from Suryabinayak to Dhulikhel is expected to become easier, and tourism promotion is also expected to receive a boost.