Butwal-Gorusinge-Chanauta section of the East-West highway is going to be upgraded to four-lane.Construction of the 69-kilometer section would be forwarded from next year at the joint initiative of the World Bank and Government of Nepal, according to the Department of Roads. The cost for the expansion of the road to four-lane has been estimated to Rs 32 billion.
Director General of the Department, Arjun Jung Thapa, said special attention would be paid on road safety and environmental conservation.
He shared that seven bridges would be constructed at Butwal-Gorusinge-Chanauta. Of them, some bridges would be constructed through modern technology, added Thapa. The World Bank and government are now in the process of making financial agreement for road upgrading. It is expected that the road upgrading would start from November 2023 and conclude on November 2026.
The road expansion is going to be carried out under ‘Accelerating Transport and Trade Connectivity in South Asia-Nepal Phase-1’.
Ministry of Physical Planning and Transport, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies and Department of Forests and Soil Conservation are affiliated with this. The World Bank has been providing loan assistance to the government for upgrading different highways. The government has been upgrading East-West highway as Asian highway. Construction of ‘underpass’ and ‘overpass’ has also been forwarded.