IT is reassuring to know that the Nepal Army (NA) has completed 88 per cent work of roadways construction of Kathmandu-Terai Expressway that will link the capital city with Nijgadh in Bara district where a second international airport is to be built. According to a news report in this daily, the army is working in full swing deploying soldiers and field engineers from 10 different base camps it has established along the project route. The NA has completed land cutting and filling work of more than 31 kilometres out of total 55.5 kilometres stretch and officials supervising the work have said that land cutting, grading and levelling, constructing retaining wall and earth reinforcing work will be completed by the end of the current fiscal year. The army plans to begin the construction of tunnels and bridges from the next fiscal year for which it will soon open tenders for international builders as the domestic ones, including the army, don’t have an experience of constructing tunnels and bridges. The 72.5 km expressway will have three tunnels with an average length of 1.4 kilometres and 87 bridges, the longest being over 400 metres at Mahadev Danda.
The project that remained in limbo for nearly a decade gained momentum in the last couple of years with the government's choice of NA for its construction as early as possible. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) had supported a feasibility study and Preliminary Design of the Fast Track in 2008 laying the basis for this project. In 2015, the ADB study was accessed by an Indian consortium consisting of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IN&FS) Transport Networks, IL&FS Engineering and Construction and Suryavir Infrastructure Construction for the preparation of a detailed project report (DPR) of the project; IL&FS also entered into negotiations with the government for its construction and operation under BOT (build, operate and transfer) model. However, widespread criticism from various quarters compelled the government to terminate the negotiations and agreements with the Indian building firm in December 2016 and in May 2017 the government entrusted the NA for the construction of the national priority project within next four years. But now the army says that the project cannot be completed as targeted earlier and has extended the deadline to 2024.
The expressway to be built along the Bagmati River passing through Kulekhani Dobhan, Malta Mahadevtar and Thingan before reaching Nijgadh will reduce the travelling distance by 159 km and save travel time by more than four hours. This would save approximately NRs. 4,000 per one-way trip for a heavy truck. The construction of fast track is also expected to foster urbanisation around Birgunj, Nijghad and Hetauda and reduce population pressure in Kathmandu. More importantly, this road constitutes a section of the north-south transit route which will link Birgunj with Rasuwagadhi shortly, the most convenient link between Tibet of China with the Indian sub-continent. The Chinese government is working to extend the railways to Kerung which means the trade potential between China, Nepal and India will materialise soon for which the fast track will play a vital role. Considering all these benefits, it is in everyone's interest to complete this national pride project as early as possible.