Kathmandu’s Major Highways Blocked as Long Lines of Trucks and Buses Build Up in Hetauda

Heavy rain and landslides have disrupted several of the main roads connecting Kathmandu with the rest of Nepal, leaving long lines of cargo trucks and passenger buses waiting in Hetauda as traffic is diverted onto the limited routes still open.

The Prithvi Highway and Narayangadh–Muglin road have been hit by landslides at multiple locations, while several alternative roads linking Hetauda with Kathmandu are also facing closures. The disruption has increased pressure on the Tribhuvan Highway, one of the few routes currently being used to move essential supplies and passengers towards the capital.

Hetauda becomes a traffic bottleneck

Hetauda has become a major holding point for vehicles heading towards Kathmandu.

Trucks carrying food, fuel and other goods, along with passenger buses, have been diverted towards the Tribhuvan Highway after disruptions on the Prithvi Highway and Narayangadh–Muglin route.

The increase in traffic has been particularly challenging because the Tribhuvan Highway is an older, relatively narrow mountain road that was not designed to handle the volume of traffic normally carried by the Prithvi Highway.

The road usually handles only around 50 to 60 vehicles a day under normal conditions, but its traffic has increased sharply whenever the main highway to Kathmandu is blocked.

Alternative Hetauda-Kathmandu routes also affected

The disruption is not limited to the main highway.

The Bhimphedi–Kulekhani–Fakhel route has been closed since Friday after landslides struck the road at Kaura in Makwanpur’s Indrasarowar Rural Municipality-2.

The Kanti Highway has also been blocked by landslides, including at Ghattepakha in Bakaiya Rural Municipality-12. Clearing work is underway, but continuing rainfall is making road restoration difficult.