KATHMANDU, May 14: As it is now certain that the Kathmandu-Terai/Madhesh Fast Track project will not be completed even within the second extended deadline, the National Planning Commission has advised the Nepali Army to at least complete either the right or left side of the road as a two-lane section and bring it into operation within two years.
The second extended deadline for the construction of the expressway expires after mid-April 2027. Although the agreement had set a target to complete all construction work by then, the possibility of meeting the deadline appears unlikely.
According to sources at the commission, preparations are underway to extend the deadline for a third time by another three years. If the extension is approved after mid-April 2027, the project completion period will be pushed to mid-April 2030.
A third extension of three years would increase both the project cost and construction duration. So far, around Rs 95 billion has already been spent on the project. Sources say the cost could reach Rs 200 billion if the deadline is extended again.
The commission has suggested completing at least a two-lane section of the Fast Track within two years so vehicles can begin operating on it. If work proceeds according to the recommendation, there remains a possibility that two lanes could be completed and opened to traffic by 2027.
“That is why we have advised the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport and the parliamentary infrastructure subcommittee, through which the Nepali Army received responsibility for the construction, to make the Fast Track operational even if only as a two-lane road,” commission member Arjun Jung Thapa told Republica. “A huge amount of state money has already been spent on the Fast Track.”
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“Despite the spending, the public has not been able to receive returns from it for a long time. That is why we made such a suggestion,” he added.
Thapa said it may take an additional year beyond mid-April 2027 to complete a two-lane section fit for vehicle operation, though technically it remains possible.
The budget for the Fast Track is routed through the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. According to ministry sources, overall physical progress on the project currently stands at around 46 percent.
The dispute over the starting point of the Fast Track still remains unresolved. The section from Pharsidol to Chobhar has not yet been contracted out.
It will still take another three years to complete the work after the contract is awarded. A ministry source said, “As it is now impossible to complete the Fast Track construction by mid-April 2027, preparations are underway to propose another three-year extension.” However, no government body is willing to officially comment on the matter.
Another member of the commission said, “Initially, we had conceptualized connecting the Fast Track to the Outer Ring Road, but since the Outer Ring Road project is unlikely to move ahead, it must now be linked to the Inner Ring Road. If we fail to connect the Fast Track to the Inner Ring Road, the project will not generate expected returns.”
The member added, “The most suitable place to connect the Fast Track with the Inner Ring Road is Balkhu. If we can connect the Fast Track from Balkhu across the Bagmati River, it will generate returns.”
According to him, constructing a four-lane bridge above the Bagmati River from Balkhu would save the state from compensation-related complications.
“If we can build a bridge of around four and a half kilometers above the Bagmati River from Balkhu, there will be no burden of compensation. The river would flow below while the bridge above could connect the Fast Track to the Inner Ring Road,” he said, adding that the idea has only been discussed and no final decision has yet been made.
“To make the Fast Track fully functional, it is necessary to construct another four or five feeder roads linking its starting point with the major roads inside Kathmandu Valley,” Thapa said.
The Nepali Army was assigned responsibility for constructing the Fast Track on May 4, 2017, with the objective of linking Kathmandu to the Tarai-Madhes region. Since then, the Army has already sought deadline extensions twice.
Initially, the Nepali Army had been given four years to complete the project, meaning the work should have finished by May 2021. However, citing delays in preparing the DPR, the Army failed to complete the work within the original timeline. The deadline was then extended until December 2024.
When it became clear that the project would still not be completed within the first extension period, the deadline was extended a second time until mid-April 2027. Only 11 months now remain before the second extension expires.
No one believes the project will be completed within the remaining 11 months. Even half of the work has not yet been finished. Therefore, another extension appears inevitable. Even if the deadline is extended by another three years, there is no guarantee the construction will be completed within that timeframe.
For that reason, the National Planning Commission has suggested that the Nepali Army at least complete a two-lane section immediately so vehicles can begin using the Fast Track. The project was initially estimated to cost Rs 85 billion, but expenses have continued to rise steadily.
According to the DPR prepared for the Fast Track, the total length of the road from Khokana to the East-West Highway at Nijgadh is 70.977 kilometers. The route will pass through Kathmandu, Lalitpur, Makwanpur and Bara districts.
