KATHMANDU, March 14: The work on the Nagdhunga tunnel is in its final stage with around 87 percent construction work of Nagdhunga tunnel road has been completed.
Due to obstacles and slow pace seen in tunnel construction, the project, which was supposed to be completed in 42 months, is still not finished. The Nagdhunga Tunnel Project, has stated that it will take another year for vehicles to operate through the tunnel route, which will facilitate access to the capital.
Although nearly 87 percent of the project work is complete, it will still take about a year for regular traffic operations to begin. Despite the project nearing its final stages, the operational modality has not yet been finalized. A soft opening of the tunnel is planned for the end of 2025.
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The main tunnel slope has been completed, and the emergency rescue slope work is half finished, according to the project officials. Sanjay Panthi, Deputy Project Director of the Tunnel Construction Project, said that regular vehicle operation on the tunnel route will begin three months after the completion of the remaining work.
Only a limited number of vehicles will be allowed during the soft opening. Additionally, the work on the flyover towards Balambu has also reached its final stage as around 97 percent of the work on the flyover has been completed.
The project has faced multiple delays due to local obstacles and the COVID-19 pandemic. However, this time, the work will be completed on time. A Japanese team is preparing to come for testing of the tunnel route.
The construction of the tunnel route started on October 21, 2019. The project was originally scheduled to be completed by mid-May 2023. However, the deadline was extended citing the COVID-19 pandemic. Accordingly, the government has signed two additional agreements to extend the timeline.
According to the first agreement, the deadline was extended to mid-July 2023 after the tunnel route work was not completed. Later, the deadline was further extended until April 25, 2024, but the work was still not finished. The project now has a deadline until mid-October 2025. When the project began, the goal was to complete it within 42 months.
However, even after 64 months since the project started, it is still not completed. It will take another year before vehicles can pass through the tunnel. According to the project, once the tunnel is completed, it will take about seven minutes to travel from Sisne Khola to Balambu.
The responsibility for constructing the tunnel route was awarded to the Japanese contractor company Hazama-Ando JV, with a total contract amount of Rs 22 billion. For the tunnel construction, the Japanese government provided a concessional loan of Rs 16 billion, while the Nepali government invested Rs 6 billion.
