PM Oli observes breakthrough of Ghattepakha-Dhedre Tunnel on Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway

BAKAIYA, MAKAWANPUR: Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli today observed the breakthrough of the Ghattepakha-Dhedre Tunnel, part of the Kathmandu–Tarai/Madhesh Expressway (Fast Track).

The Fast track is a project of national pride and strategic importance.

The breakthrough ceremony for the 1.728-kilometre-long tunnel took place at Dhedre in Bakaiya Rural Municipality-12, Makawanpur district. Another tunnel in Dhedre, measuring 1.653km towards the Nijgadh-Kathmandu side, has already been completed.

With this, the opening of tunnels under package 11 is now complete. The Prime Minister activated a switch to mark the breakthrough of the tunnel.

The Nepali Army (NA) is responsible for implementing the project.

During the event, Chief of the Army Staff, Prabhu Ram Sharma, briefed the Prime Minister on the progress and challenges of the project. He reported that the project has achieved 35.98% progress to date.

The construction of the 1.612km-long tunnel towards Nijgadh-Kathmandu at Lendanda and 1.633 km-long tunnel towards Kathmandu-Nijgadh has already been completed.

Currently, the construction of 3.322km-long Mahadevtar Tunnel towards Nijgadh-Kathmandu has reached 2.29km, while 3.386km-long tunnel towards Kathmandu-Nijgadh has reached 2.88km. Both tracks are expected to open within a year.

The project is divided into 13 packages. Out of the 89 bridges to be constructed, 85 are at various stages of construction. The remaining four bridges, located in the Khokana area of Lalitpur, face delays due to land acquisition disputes. The NA aims to complete the fast track project by mid-April 2027.

The expressway starts in Khokana, Lalitpur, and ends in Nijgadh, Bara district, spanning 70.977km. It will be 25m wide in hilly terrain and 27m wide in Tarai terrain.

Six tunnels, totalling 10.399km in length, will be built on the expressway. These include a 1km tunnel in Devichaur, 0.39km tunnel in Sisautar, 2.25km tunnel in Chandram Bhir, 3.355km tunnel in Mahadevdanda, 1.691km tunnel in Dhedre, and 1.623km tunnel in Lendanda.

Additionally, 89 bridges with a total length of 12.885km will be constructed along the road. The project will also include two rest stops in Budune, and one interchange and toll plaza each in Khokana, Budune, and Nijgadh.

The Council of Ministers on May 4, 2017, decided to assign the construction management of the project to the NA.

The foundation stone of the project was laid by then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal at Nijgadh in Bara on May 28, 2017. The government transferred the project from the Road Department to the Nepali Army on August 11, 2017.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Devendra Dahal, Minister for Defence Manbir Rai, Forests and Environment Minister Ain Bahadur Shahi Thakuri, and the ambassadors of China and South Korea to Nepal attended the event.

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