Key Takeaways:

• 100m of Prithvi Highway at Krishna Bhir has sunk, with cracks and slope damage
• Immediate repairs impossible as Trishuli River continues eroding the road base
• Alternative routes under study, including Benighat–Arughat–Gorkha and Galchhi–Dhadingbesi–Salyantar–Gorkha
• Highway disruption significant: 14,000 vehicles daily, including LPG supply trucks to Kathmandu

KATHMANDU, AUGUST 31 Authorities have begun searching for an alternative route after nearly 100 metres of the Prithvi Highway at Krishna Bhir started sinking, with continued erosion by the Trishuli River making immediate repairs impossible. The affected section has continued to subside since Sunday morning as the river erodes the road foundation, according to officials of the Nagdhunga-Muglin Road Project, western section. Cracks have also appeared in the roadside slope, and pedestrian movement has been stopped. Project information officer engineer Sachendra Mishra said the extent of the damage was still increasing and that experts had begun studying alternatives because the road could not be repaired immediately. Western section chief divisional engineer Sajana Adhikari said the river was continuing to cut into the base of the road and that it was not possible to predict how much more of the highway could collapse. 'The river is continuing to erode the road. It is not possible to say exactly how much more will collapse,' she said. Officials are also assessing the condition of the hillside above the damaged section. Cutting into the slope is not considered feasible because there is a settlement above it, Adhikari said. With immediate restoration ruled out, authorities are studying alternative routes through Benighat–Arughat–Gorkha and Galchhi–Sunaulabazar–Dhadingbesi–Salyantar–Gorkha, among others. They are also looking for roads that can be repaired quickly and brought into operation. Vehicles travelling from the eastern side could use routes through Makwanpur, while alternatives through Gorkha are being explored for vehicles heading towards western Nepal and Pokhara. The Prithvi Highway is a major route to Kathmandu, including for large vehicles transporting essential supplies such as LPG gas. Around 14,000 vehicles travel along the highway each day, making the disruption significant for traffic and supplies to the capital. Krishna Bhir had been a persistent trouble spot on the highway in previous years. However, problems had eased in recent years following repair and landslide-control works at the site.