Two more over head canopy bridges will be built on the Narayanghat-Butwal section of the East-West highway so monkeys can cross the road without meeting vehicles. The aim is to cut accidents caused by monkeys on the busy four-lane road.
Engineer Shiva Khanal, the information officer for the eastern section of the Narayanghat-Butwal Road Expansion Project announced the plan on October 3-4,2026 (Asoj 17-18, 2083 BS).
The bridges will be built in forest stretches of Nawalparasi (Bardaghat Susta East) and Nawalpur. One will go between Kawasoti and Lakaha and the other between Chormara and Arunkhola.
Why are they needed?
Khanal said accidents have gone up as monkeys have moved from the hills toward the Terai. " The number of accidents has increased since monkeys began moving from the hills toward the Terai. People have also lost their lives in accidents caused by monkeys crossing the highway. The bridges are being constructed to reduce such accidents," he said.
He added that bridges are meant to help wildlife move naturally, protect biodiversity , reduce collisions between wildlife and vehicles, and make projects more friendly to the environment.
Khanal said each canopy bridge will cost less than Rs 500,000.
One canopy bridge already stands in the Pitauji forest at Gaindakot-10 in Nawalparasi East. It is 34 metres long and 4 feet wide and it crosses above highway.
Khanal said monkeys have been seen using it. But he said it is too early to judge how well it works.
The bridges are being built under the project's Biodiversity Conservation and Promotion Programme. The project has also built water ponds inside forests along the highway and is supporting efforts to control poaching.
The Narayanghat- Butwal section is being upgraded to a four lane highway built to Asian Highway standards.
