Transport operators say that sections of the strategic highway connecting Kachin State and Mandalay have been damaged and become difficult to travel due to the use of detour routes.

Currently, vehicles mainly traveling to Myitkyina are using the Mandalay–Madaya–Tagaung–Tigyaing–Katha–Mohnyin–Mogaung–Myitkyina route and the Mandalay–Sagaing–Shwebo–Zinbaw–Nanthe–Indaw–Mawlu–Mohnyin–Mogaung–Myitkyina route. Drivers say the roads have been damaged and traffic has been blocked because travellers have had to use detours.

A transport operator said, “If we travel from the Shwebo side, there is also the Indaw detour, where we have to go around the upper reaches of the Meza Creek. We then come out toward Mohan–Nantseaung. The roads are just village and forest roads. At first, separate routes were provided for small and large vehicles. But when the route for large trucks became stuck in mud, they had to use the small-vehicle route, causing difficulties. All the small bridges have collapsed. The mud is waist-deep, and elephants are still being used to pull vehicles out. My cargo truck has been stuck for about two months. If we come up from the Mandalay–Tigyaing side, the road is blocked at Katha. As fighting frequently occurs along the Indaw–Mawlu section, that route has also been closed for nearly ten days.”

At present, around 1,000 vehicles traveling northbound are reportedly stranded around Nanthe, Sattaw, Kyain Chaung, Ma-u-gon and Buda Let villages. Hundreds of vehicles coming down from Myitkyina are also stranded, while around 1,000 vehicles are reportedly stuck along the Katha route, according to transport operators.

“Some vehicles that can turn back are doing so. Others are stuck halfway, unable to move either forward or backward. On the Indaw detour, at the lower forest road near the ascent to the upper Meza Creek, it costs about 600,000 kyats to have a tractor pull a vehicle and 400,000 kyats to have elephants pull it. Even with three elephants, it takes considerable effort. Oxen and buffalo are also being used to pull vehicles. Things will not return to normal until the Union Highway is reopened,” the operator said.

At present, travellers heading toward Mogaung and Myitkyina reportedly have to pay 150,000 to 300,000 kyats for a vehicle from Mandalay to Nanthe. From Nanthe to Mogaung, motorcycle taxis charge between 250,000 and 400,000 kyats, according to a traveller.

“I paid 300,000 kyats for a motorcycle taxi from Mogaung to Nanthe. From Nanthe to Mandalay, it costs 150,000 kyats. As for the Mogaung–Myitkyina route, traveling by either car or train is convenient,” the traveller said.

A resident of Mohnyin, Kachin State, said some products from lower Myanmar are currently in short supply in the town, while prices have risen sharply.

“Prices are not the same from one day to the next. Cement has risen from around 65,000 kyats to about 100,000 kyats. Eggs are around 1,000 kyats each. Gasoline is about 13,000 kyats per liter. Since the major shops have run out of supplies, sellers are charging whatever they want. Things will improve only when the roads reopen. Right now, it feels like a sick person is being strangled,” the resident said.

The Mandalay–Myitkyina road is approximately 350 miles long. Following the political changes in 2021, all railway services along the route were suspended. Since 2023, the road route has faced numerous difficulties due to detours directed by armed groups in the area.