Kathmandu, July 18: The “Nagadhunga Tunnel Run and Walk” was organized by the Department of Roads in collaboration with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nepal here today.
This event featured both a race and a walk, all aimed at promoting the Nagadhunga Tunnel and raising public awareness about its significance.
Saujanya Nepal, the Director of the Nagadhunga Tunnel Construction Project Office, shared that the initiative was held to inform the public about the tunnel’s features and benefits.
Stretching an impressive 2,688 meters, the Nagadhunga-Naubise tunnel is a key infrastructure project in the country. The project was set to be completed by April 26, 2023. However, delays caused by the contractor and protests by local residents pushed back the timeline.
Project Director Nepal assured that the tunnel is expected to be operational by the end of this month. Currently, the project estimates that over eight thousand vehicles, both large and small (excluding two-wheelers), pass through the Nagdhunga-Naubise border daily to enter and exit Kathmandu.
Nepal noted that around 60 percent of these vehicles are expected to utilize the new tunnel. It’s important to mention that two-wheelers will not be allowed to use the tunnel.
Users will likely have to pay a toll fee to use the tunnel constructed with the grant assistance of the government of Japan.
