KATHMANDU, Dec 5: The long-delayed expansion of the 94.6-kilometre Nagdhunga–Muglin road, widely regarded as Nepal’s lifeline, is not likely to be completed within the scheduled timeframe. Officials now say the project will take at least another two years to finish.
Linking Kathmandu Valley with districts outside the capital, the Nagdhunga–Muglin corridor is one of the country’s most critical highways. Yet construction work along this vital stretch has been moving at a painfully slow pace.
Despite the government allocating billions of rupees annually for road construction and maintenance—including more than NPR 150 billion in the current fiscal year—many of Nepal’s so-called “lifeline” roads remain in disrepair.
Under the Tribhuvan Highway and the Narayanghat–Muglin section of the Prithvi Highway, the government signed a contract with construction companies on June 9, 2022, to upgrade the Nagdhunga–Naubise and Naubise–Muglin stretches. As per the agreement, the entire project was supposed to be completed by December 28, 2025.
Two years on, 4.5-km bypass road sees no sign of completion
The Nagdhunga–Muglin road has been divided into two main sections. The eastern section, from Nagdhunga to Malekhu, is overseen by a company headed by Keshav Ojha, while the Malekhu–Muglin section is managed by another contracting company by Sajana Adhikari.
The Nagdhunga–Malekhu stretch itself is further divided into two segments. The first, from Nagdhunga to Naubise, is 12 kilometres long. According to Ojha, work on this segment is 85 percent complete and is expected to finish by the end of Falgun (mid-March). “We are confident the work will be completed by then,” he said.
This section is being built by Sagun Construction–Jiamsu JV under a contract worth NPR 1.31 billion. The deadline for this segment has already been extended twice. The Nagdhunga–Muglin corridor is considered the busiest and most challenging road section in the country.
While the Nagdhunga–Naubise expansion is nearing completion, progress on the Naubise–Malekhu and Malekhu–Muglin sections remains sluggish.
The Naubise–Malekhu stretch spans 43 kilometres. In 2021, Sharma Lama–JIC JV signed a contract worth NPR 5.3 billion with the Department of Roads to expand this section. Ojha said only around 50 percent of the work has been completed so far. The final deadline for this segment is set for mid-Kartik 2083 (November 2026), but officials concede it will not be completed on time.
The most problematic section is Malekhu–Muglin, where completion is expected to take at least two more years. Project chief Sajana Adhikari said progress on this stretch stands at just 37 percent. The contractor has proposed an extension of more than two years. “A decision on the exact duration of the extension has not been made, but it is certain that the deadline will be extended,” she said.
The Malekhu–Muglin section is being handled by Sharma GI–Mitsu JV under a contract worth approximately NPR 5 billion. The contractor has cited multiple reasons for requesting a prolonged extension.
Once completed, the expanded Nagdhunga–Muglin road will have a width ranging from at least 7.5 metres to as much as 24 metres, depending on the section. This translates to between two and six lanes. “In some areas it will be two lanes, while in others—especially in market areas—it will be expanded to six lanes,” Ojha said.
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