NIJGADH: Construction of the Kathmandu-Tarai/Madhesh Fast Track has picked up pace, according to the Nepal Army, which is overseeing the national pride project.
After a slow start in earlier years, work has accelerated in recent months. The Nepal Army took responsibility for the project following a Cabinet decision on April 21, 2017, and began contract-based construction in 2021.
The 70.977-kilometer expressway has been divided into 11 packages. Except for the Khokana-Dukuchhap section (Package 11), contracts have been awarded for all other packages, and construction is underway, said Nepal Army spokesperson Assistant Rathi Rajaram Basnet.
As of mid-January 2026, overall physical progress has reached 45.16 percent. Work is ongoing simultaneously on roads, bridges, tunnels, interchanges, toll plazas, slope protection, box culverts, optical fiber ducts, and electrification ducts.
A total of 89 bridges, with a combined length of 12.885 km, are being built along the fast track. Of the 85 bridges under contract, 13 have been completed. A special bridge standing 82 meters high in the Lendanda area has also been finished. Foundation work has been completed on 54 bridges, while 34 are at the superstructure stage. Contracts for four bridges in the Khokana section are pending due to land disputes.
The project includes seven tunnels with a total length of 10.979 km. Breakthroughs have been completed for the 1,622-meter Lendanda tunnel and the 1,690-meter Dhedre tunnel, where secondary lining work is ongoing. The longest tunnel, the 3,355-meter Mahadevtar tunnel, is over 69 percent complete, with a breakthrough targeted within the current fiscal year.
Excavation has also progressed on the Chandramabhir tunnel (2,250 meters), while excavation has started at the Devichaur (1,000 meters) and Sisautar (390 meters) tunnels. Portal preparation work is ongoing at the 594-meter Mauribhir tunnel.
On the road section, 5 km of service lane has been blacktopped in the Rajdamah area of Makwanpur. Sub-base and base layers have been completed on 11 km of the main road under Packages 3 and 5. The expressway will be 25 meters wide in hilly areas and 27 meters wide in the plains.
In the Nijgadh area of Bara, construction is ongoing on animal underpasses, interchanges, and toll plazas. Rest areas are planned at Budune, with interchanges and toll plazas at Khokana, Budune, and Nijgadh.
However, the project’s starting point remains unresolved. While the DPR identifies Khokana as the entry point, local opposition has stalled work. Residents have demanded that the starting point be shifted 5 km south to Dukuchhap. The Ministry of Defense is currently coordinating efforts to resolve the issue.
The projects estimated cost stands at Rs 211.93 billion. By mid-January, total expenditure had reached Rs 82.97 billion, with financial progress at 45.33 percent. The revised completion deadline is mid-April 2027.
