Myagdi, Nepal - Road widening work has officially begun in the challenging Mahabhir and Bhirkate sections of the Kali Gandaki Corridor in Annapurna Rural Municipality, where explosives are being used to cut through steep rocky hillsides to improve transportation connectivity between Nepal, China, and India.
According to the Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project Office, the project is underway in Ward No. 6 and Ward No. 7 of Annapurna Rural Municipality under the strategically important Beni -Jomsom-Korala roadway, which links Nepal to the Korala border point near China.
Project Chief Tejaswi Sharma said the construction company contracted for the work has already started drilling operations using explosive materials to widen the narrow mountain road sections.
The Mahabhir and Bhirkate stretches are considered among the most difficult portions of the corridor due to their rugged geography. On one side lies the deep Kali Gandaki River gorge, while towering rocky cliffs rise sharply on the other side, leaving little space for road expansion.
Officials said the existing road in the area currently operates only one-way in practice, despite serving both cargo and passenger vehicles. The approximately 700-meter section, originally opened by the Nepal Army in 2064 B.S., is only five to six meters wide, forcing vehicles to wait and pass alternately.
The ongoing project aims to widen the road into an 11-meter two-lane roadway and pave the surface to improve safety and transportation efficiency. The construction contract worth approximately Rs 70.7 million has been awarded to Kalimata (Thapakaji) (Rasuwa JV, with a target to complete the work by coming October.
Project Chief Sharma noted that a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for constructing a tunnel road in the area had earlier been prepared with an estimated cost of nearly Rs 1 billion. However, due to financial limitations, authorities opted for the more feasible alternative of cutting and widening the hillsides.
He added that in locations where expansion toward the riverbank is possible, concrete retaining walls are being constructed along the Kali Gandaki River. In areas where such expansion is impossible, controlled blasting of rocky cliffs is being carried out.
The Beni-Jomsom-Korala Road Project Office also confirmed that landslide prevention works are simultaneously ongoing at several vulnerable points in the Myagdi section of the 202-kilometer corridor. Areas including Chamere, Baisari, Siruwari, Guinthebhir, Khambhitta, Latakhola, Rupse, and Ghoptebhir are currently undergoing slope stabilization and landslide mitigation works worth around Rs 260 million.
The Beni–Jomsom–Korala Road is regarded as one of Nepal’s most strategically important mountain highways, expected to strengthen trade, tourism, and cross-border connectivity in the Himalayan region once fully upgraded.
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