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Global tender for Nagdhunga tunnel this month: DoR
The Department of Roads (DoR) will issue a global tender this month to appoint a contractor to build the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel.The Department of Roads (DoR) will issue a global tender this month to appoint a contractor to build the Nagdhunga-Naubise tunnel.
According to the DoR, it has reviewed the detailed project report (DPR) and bidding documents for the Rs20.2 billion project which is being developed with a loan from the Japanese government. The department will issue the tender after getting approval from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica).
“We are planning to send the DPR and bidding documents to Jica headquarters for its approval within a few days,” said Sanjay Kumar Shrestha, chief of the department’s Foreign Cooperation Branch. “Once we get Jica’s go-ahead, we will immediately issue a global tender to appoint a contractor.” The entire process, according to Shrestha, will not take more than a month.
The DoR has also asked the Kathmandu District Administration Office to initiate the process of acquiring private land required for the construction of the tunnel that will pass beneath the western rim of the Kathmandu Valley. Shrestha said land acquisition would be completed well before the contractor for the construction is named.
The tunnel way project has two components: Construction of a 2.45-km tunnel from Basnetchhap to Sisne Khola, and a 2.6-km approach road from Basnetchhap to Thankot. The proposed tunnel will have two 3.5-metre lanes and a 2.5-metre shoulder. It will also have LED lighting, mechanical ventilation, evacuation tunnel door and emergency telephone service.
Likewise, the approach road will have two bridges, toll booths and a roadside rest area for travellers. The rest area, spread over 4,650 square metres, will have parking space for nine heavy vehicles and 23 light vehicles, fast food restaurants, shops and toilets. The cost of the project is expected to be around Rs20.2 billion.
The tunnel and approach road are expected to cut travel time over the mountainous route from Nagdhunga to Naubise, the main gateway to Kathmandu.
It will eliminate the circuitous route over the Valley’s rim and cut travel time. Also, traffic flow is expected to become smoother on the stretch after the tunnel is built. The tunnel project will be implemented with a
loan from the Japanese government.
Nepal and Japan signed an official development assistance loan agreement worth Rs15.2 billion for the construction of the tunnel in December 2016. The loan repayment period has been fixed at 40 years
and the grace period at 10 years. The loan carries an interest rate of 0.01 percent per annum.