Experts urge urgent stabilisation of Krishnabhir. Tunnel or bridge advised for long term fix

The temporary route above Nepal’s collapsed Krishnabhir highway section may restore traffic, but engineers and geologists warn that the hillside remains dangerously unstable. They say the track must be strengthened immediately if it is to serve for more than a brief emergency period.

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Krishnabhir is unstable. There were even suggestions that it should not be operated. But Kathmandu’s lifeline was cut and the supply chain disrupted. The track had to be extended over the landslide out of necessity. Now piling must be done immediately.

The Department of Roads is widening a small existing track above the section of the Prithvi Highway that fell into the Trishuli River on August 30, four days after the Bhotekoshi flooding. The track had previously been wide enough only for excavators. The route became necessary after the collapse cut a crucial connection to Kathmandu and disrupted supplies.

Keshav Sharma, a former secretary at the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, said authorities should install piles and use steel bars to stabilise the slope from above and below. “Technology must be used immediately to make the newly opened section reliable,” Sharma said. He proposed a tunnel as a second option, followed by a bridge across the Trishuli connecting the highway from the Gorkha side.

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Technology must be used immediately to make the newly opened section reliable. The second option is to consider building a tunnel from inside. The third and long-term option is to build a bridge across the Trishuli and connect the Prithvi Highway from the Gorkha side.

Arjun Jung Thapa, a former secretary and National Planning Commission member who inspected the site, said restoring traffic had taken priority because of the monsoon and the government’s limited options. But he also urged immediate planning for alternatives. A bridge would be difficult during the rainy season because the Trishuli is high and would require a strong pier and foundation in the river. “Concept and reality are different things,” Thapa wrote on social media.

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Because of the circumstances, constructing a temporary road at Krishnabhir and operating traffic has taken priority. But there should be no delay in looking for alternatives such as a tunnel or bridge.

Thapa said the government and Nepali contractors could build a short tunnel or two 150-metre bridges. The Ministry of Infrastructure Development has approved measures to build structures above the existing gabion breast wall and make the hillside track usable, alongside longer-term plans. The source text ends while describing further planned works.

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If no other options are explored at Krishnabhir, it would be a failure.