CHITWAN, July 28: With the opening of the Nagdhunga-Sisnekhola Tunnel on the Tribhuvan Highway, Nepal has entered the era of road tunnels. The government and political parties have rushed to claim credit for the project.
Yet, little attention has been paid to the poor condition of the highways leading to the tunnel, forcing thousands of travellers to navigate risky roads every day.
The Tribhuvan Highway connects Kathmandu with Naubise, where it meets the Prithvi Highway from Pokhara. This is one of the country's busiest road corridors, carrying thousands of passenger vehicles and freight trucks daily. The Narayangadh-Muglin Road, which links the East-West Highway to the Prithvi Highway, remains highly vulnerable to landslides, creating major bottlenecks for vehicles heading to the capital.
The 94.62 kilometre Nagdhunga-Muglin Road section, the main gateway to Kathmandu, is still under reconstruction. Landslide prevention work has begun at Tuinkhola along the Narayangadh-Muglin stretch. Road closures are imposed whenever construction or slope stabilisation work is carried out, causing long delays and inconvenience for travellers.
Babari Construction Pvt Ltd has secured a contract worth Rs 222.1 million to stabilise the Tuinkhola landslide area. Site in charge Laxmi Prasad Subedi said the work is expected to be completed within 10 months.
Three new tunnel roads to be built next FY
Construction and expansion of the Muglin Nagdhunga road began on December 22, 2022. Despite two deadline extensions, the project remains unfinished. To speed up construction, the road has been divided into three packages.
The project, financed through a concessional loan from the World Bank, is estimated to cost around Rs 11.43 billion. According to Sachendra Mishra, information officer for the Nagdhunga Muglin Road Project's western section, work on the 38.86 kilometre Muglin Malekhu stretch has reached only 45 percent completion.
The Sharma ZICG JV was awarded the Rs 4.81 billion contract for the western section. The original deadline expired last December, while the 183 day extension ended in July. Officials have now sought a third extension from the Department of Roads.
Mishra said the project initially faced legal hurdles in clearing trees within the road corridor. Delays in relocating houses and electricity poles further slowed progress. He also cited rising fuel prices and shortages of construction materials triggered by the Russia Ukraine war and the United States Iran conflict.
Blacktopping is currently underway at Kurintar, Fishling, Charaundi and Bishaltar. More than 90 percent of construction has been completed on four bridges over the Khahare, Chiraudi, Gomati and Hugdi rivers.
The eastern section of the Nagdhunga Muglin Road Project oversees two road packages. According to information officer Rajiv Manandhar, physical progress on the 43.54 kilometre Naubise Malekhu section stands at 62.5 percent, while financial progress has reached 49 percent.
The section is being built by the ZICG, Sharma and Lama JV. Manandhar said the contract requires three layers of asphalt. So far, the second asphalt layer has been completed on 22 kilometres, while 2.5 kilometres have been concreted. Final surfacing is still pending.
Of the 16 bridges planned for this section, 13 have been completed and the remaining three are in the final stage. The extended deadline for this package expires in October. The Rs 5.33 billion contract prioritises blacktopping in areas with the heaviest traffic.
The 12.26 kilometre Nagdhunga Naubise section also remains incomplete, even after five years of construction. According to Manandhar, physical progress has reached 88.88 percent and financial progress stands at 84 percent.
He said this section has made the best progress among the three packages. Two layers of asphalt have been completed along 12 kilometres, while the final surface has been laid on six kilometres.
Two bridges are included in the first package, and both are about 95 percent complete. The contractor has requested a three-month extension after missing the latest completion deadline in mid-June. Discussions on extending the deadline are ongoing with the Department of Roads.
The Rs 1.3 billion contract for the Nagdhunga Naubise section was awarded to Jiangsu Sagun JV. Despite steady progress, the project remains unfinished, leaving the approach roads to Nepal's newest tunnel far from complete.
