Kirtipur Roads to Be Blacktopped in Three Months

The roads leading to the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur will be blacktopped within three months, after the Kathmandu Road Division invited bids for the work on Monday.

The blacktopping project

Roads leading to the Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground in Kirtipur will be blacktopped within three months, with the Kathmandu Road Division inviting bids for the work on Monday. The project will be fast-tracked, with a construction company expected to be selected and contracted within 15 to 20 days, the division's chief, Subodh Kumar Devkota, told The Kathmandu Post.

“We have invited bids to blacktop around 1.5 kilometres of roads connecting the main road to the cricket ground,” Devkota said. The access roads are currently unpaved, causing dust and inconvenience for players and spectators, and the division has estimated the project cost at Rs69.8 million.

The announcement lands in the middle of a tournament, not before it. The ground is currently hosting the third edition of the Nepal Premier League, which began on Monday, and every match of the season is played at this one venue. For the thousands of supporters travelling to Kirtipur on match days, the approach road is the first part of the match-day experience — and, until now, one of its roughest.

Bidding timeline and project cost

Under the expedited bidding process, interested construction companies can purchase bidding documents for three days and must submit their bids by October 29. The division will then open the bids and conduct technical and financial evaluations before selecting a contractor.

“We expect to complete the selection process and sign a contract within 15 to 20 days,” Devkota said. “The contractor will have to finish the blacktopping within three months of the contract signing.” On that timetable, the finished road would arrive well after the NPL final on November 21 — but in time for the next major tournament on the ground's calendar, and as a permanent upgrade rather than a temporary tournament fix.

The Rs69.8 million estimate covers the 1.5-kilometre stretch from the main road to the ground. Devkota said blacktopping would improve the appearance of the approach and make access easier to an international cricket venue that regularly hosts national and international matches. “The roads around the ground are in poor condition,” he said.

Dust, gravel and the interim fix

While the permanent work is pending, the division has arranged for water to be sprayed on the roads to control dust, following complaints from players and the Cricket Association of Nepal. Dust on the approach roads has been one of the recurring complaints about the Kirtipur venue, alongside the crowding and facilities issues the ground's recent upgrades were designed to address.

Some emergency work had already been done before the tournament. Cricket Association of Nepal vice-president Roshan Kumar Singh welcomed the decision to expedite the road upgrades, describing it as a major relief for the cricket community. “We are very happy that the government has moved ahead with this work so quickly,” Singh said.

Singh added that the road division had spread gravel on the access roads before the NPL began, after inspecting the conditions around the ground. The division chief visited before the tournament to assess the problem areas and the distances involved, Singh said, and before the NPL began, 60 truckloads of gravel were laid in a single day to make it easier to get around. Poor road conditions had made it difficult for spectators to reach the ground, he said, and blacktopping would make access considerably easier.

A venue hosting the NPL and a World Cup

The timing matters beyond this season. The improvements are also expected to benefit the ICC Under-19 Women's T20 World Cup, which Nepal will co-host with Bangladesh from January 23. Most matches in the tournament are scheduled to be played at the Kirtipur ground, and it will be the first time Nepal hosts the competition. A blacktopped approach road will be part of the welcome for visiting teams, officials and broadcasters.

The ground's moment in the spotlight began on Monday, when the NPL's third season opened with Lumbini Lions against Sudurpaschim Royals. Prime Minister Balendra Shah, Education and Sports Minister Sasmit Pokharel and Infrastructure Development Minister Sunil Lamsal attended the opening ceremony, according to the Post. The season continues at the same ground through November 21, with the full schedule of 32 matches all staged in Kirtipur.

Day two of the season underlined how busy the venue will be: Biratnagar Kings met Chitwan Rhinos in the afternoon match, and Karnali Yaks faced Janakpur Bolts under lights. Results from those matches feed the points table and the live scores page, which now carry the early shape of the season. The road project is, in that sense, not a side story: it is the infrastructure catching up with a venue that has become the permanent home of Nepal's biggest cricket event.

What fans heading to Kirtipur should know

For supporters travelling to the ground in the coming weeks, the practical picture is unchanged for now: expect an unpaved approach, with water spraying to keep the dust down, until the contractor finishes the work. The gravel laid before the tournament should keep the surface passable, but the finished blacktop is a job for the months after the season, not during it.

What has changed at the venue itself is considerable. Our report on the TU Ground upgrades records around 2,000 additional seats, a covered stand, an LED scoreboard, digital perimeter boards, a media centre and a family zone, all completed before the season. And as Kirtipur dressed up for the season, decorated gates and section-wise entry points were put in place to guide spectators to their seats.

Fans are advised to sort their entry in advance. League-match tickets are priced at Rs 500 for general admission and Rs 1,000 for premium seats, with booking through eSewa, and more than 1,000 police personnel are deployed at the ground on every match day. Once the blacktopping is complete, the last rough stretch of the journey — the road into the ground — should finally match the venue it leads to.