Restoring road links to Rasuwa could take weeks after floods destroy key bridges

At least 35 bridges have been swept away between the Miteri Bridge at Rasuwagadhi and Muglin, leaving Rasuwa effectively cut off from Nepal’s national road network.

The damage has complicated relief and rescue operations. Alternative routes have technically opened, but transport remains difficult, while helicopter access to remote parts of the district has also proved challenging. Local representatives are pressing the government to restore road connections immediately.

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As the entire structure of the existing bridges has been swept away, it is not possible to restore all of them immediately.

Department of Roads Director General Bijay Jaisi said the floods destroyed entire bridge structures and, in some places, the ground and foundations beneath them. “As the entire structure of the existing bridges has been swept away, it is not possible to restore all of them immediately,” he said. Authorities have not yet reached some damaged sites to carry out detailed technical assessments.

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Our priority will be to reopen the national road network as soon as possible.

A Bailey bridge can be installed in at least 15 days when foundations on both sides remain intact. If new foundations are required, Jaisi said another 15 days would be needed. Given the scale of the destruction, a replacement at some crossings could take at least a month even if work is accelerated.

The department does not plan to install Bailey bridges at every damaged crossing. “Our priority will be to reopen the national road network as soon as possible,” Jaisi said. “Bailey bridges will therefore be installed only at the most critical locations.” Officials have begun work on an alternative road linking to Dhadingbesi, while local leaders in Rasuwa and Nuwakot have called for additional routes to be opened quickly.

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Bailey bridges will therefore be installed only at the most critical locations.