The Nepal Weekly 
August 6, 2024
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli on Monday witnessed the ‘breakthrough’ of the Ghattepakha-Dhedre Tunnel developed under the Kathmandu –Terai/Madhesh Expressway (Fast Track). The Express Highway project is known as the project of national pride and strategic importance.
The breakthrough ceremony for the 1.728-kilometre-long tunnel was held at Dhedre of Bakaiya rural municipality-12. Another Dhedre tunnel, measuring 1.653 kilometres, towards the Nijgadh-Kathmandu side had already been completed. With this, the opening of tunnels under package 11 is now complete.
The Prime Minister activated a switch for the breakthrough of the tunnel. The implementation of the project is being undertaken by the Nepali Army.
On the occasion, Chief of the Army Staff, Prabhu Ram Sharma, apprised the Prime Minister regarding the progress made so far and the challenges facing during the project implementation. He informed that to date the project reports 35.98 per cent progress.
The construction of the 1.612-kilometre-long tunnel towards the Nijgadh-Kathmandu at Lendanda and the 1.633-kilometre-long tunnel towards the Kathmandu-Nijgadh section has been already over.
Presently, the construction of the 3.322 km long Mahadevtar Tunnel towards Nijgadh-Kathmandu reports the completion of 2.29 kilometres, while the 3.386 km long tunnel towards Kathmandu-Nijgadh has reached up to 2.88 kilometres. The opening of both tracks is expected within a year.
The project is being implemented by dividing it into 13 packages, and out of the 89 bridges to be constructed under it, 85 are at various stages of construction.
The sites for the remaining four bridges are based in the Khokana, Lalitpur and the progress has been hampered due to disputes over the land acquisition.
The fast-track project is expected to be completed by mid-April, 2027.
The starting point is Khokana in Lalitpur and the final point is Nijgarh in Bara. The length of the road is 70.977 kilometres. The expressway will be 25 meters wide in hilly terrain and 27 meters wide in Terai terrain.
Six tunnels with a length of 10.399 km will be built on the expressway. Under the project, one km long tunnel will be constructed in Devichaur, 0.39 km in Sisautar, 2.25 km in Chandram Bhir, 3.355 km in Mahadevdanda, 1.691 km in Dhedre and 1.623 km in Lendanda.
Similarly, 89 bridges with a length of 12.885 km will be constructed at different places on that road. Two rest stops in Budune and one interchange and toll plaza each in Khokana, Budune and Nijgarh will be constructed under the project.
According to the decision of the Council of Ministers on 4 May 2017, the responsibility of construction management of the project has been given to the Nepali Army. The then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal ‘Prachanda’ laid the foundation stone of the project at Nijgarh in Bara on 28 May 2017. The government handed over the project to the Army from the Road Department on 11 August 2017. Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Paudel, Physical Infrastructure and Transport Minister Devendra Dahal, Defence Minister Manveer Rai, Forest and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi and Ambassadors of China and South Korea to Nepal were present at the event.
