The first and third cross passages of the Siddhababa Tunnel Project on the Siddhartha Highway have achieved breakthroughs. Construction of two of the three bypass cross passages has been completed along this busy highway, which connects hill districts of Lumbini and Gandaki provinces to Butwal several Tarai districts.

According to the Siddhababa Tunnel Project, the first bypass spanning 151 metres, and the third bypass measuring 130 metres, have been completed.

According to Sabita Gyawali, an engineer and information officer for the Siddhababa Tunnel Project, the third cross passage achieved a breakthrough on September 11 while the first cross passage saw its breakthrough on September 20. The first bypass is located near the upper Siddhababa Temple, and the third bypass is towards the Dobhan Dam.

“The second bypass is expected to break through in about a week,” said Gyawali, adding, “It is a bit longer and has not reached the main tunnel yet.” According to her, the total length of the second bypass is 161 metres of which a 117 metres tunnel has been constructed so far.

Construction of the main tunnel of the Siddhababa Tunnel Project is progressing steadily along the Siddhartha Highway in the Siddhababa area. The main tunnel spans 1,126 metres. “A total of 587.22 metres of the main tunnel has been constructed by Tuesday evening,” said Gyawali. The project expects to finish the tunnel work by December.

Construction of the tunnel work has gathered momentum lately. According to the Siddhababa Tunnel Project, the tunnel project has made 24.17 percent physical progress and 26.4 percent financial progress as of now. The project informed that the tunnel work achieved around 10 percent progress in the past one month alone. The district administration office, local units and the district coordination committee in Palpa have been coordinating with the construction company to ensure that the tunnel is completed on time.

The construction is proceeding at full speed, with the use of explosives over the past month and a half. Drilling is done at night, while blasting is carried out during the day.

The Department of Roads decided to construct the 1.12-kilometre tunnel project along the highway’s Siddhababa-Dovan road section, which is prone to landslides and rockslides. The four-kilometre stretch is hazardous and over the past 11 years, more than 425 travellers have lost their lives and many more sustained injuries in accidents, according to the District Traffic Office, Palpa.

The Siddhababa-Dovan road section is the main link between more than a dozen districts in the plains and the hills, including Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Kaski, Parbat and Baglung districts. It is one of the busiest highways of Nepal with more than 5,000 vehicles plying the road section every day.

The China State Construction Engineering Corporation signed a contract in March, 2022 to complete the tunnel project within five years. The project is being constructed under the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) model. As per the Detailed Project Report prepared with assistance of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, the 1.12-kilometre tunnel will have double lanes with a width of 8.5 metres along with sidewalks.

Three bypasses (cross passages) have been built as part of the tunnel project to allow safe exits in case of emergencies inside the tunnel. The tunnel starts from Ramapithecus Park on the northern side and ends near Siddha Baba Temple in the south. As part of the tunnel project, the road sections from Chidiya Khola to Upper Siddhi Baba Temple and from Ramapithecus Park to Dobhan will also be upgraded.

Similarly, around 500 metres-long rock shed and rockfall barrier, will be built outside the tunnel for diverting rockslides towards the river to ensure safety of motorists and pedestrians.

The China State Construction Engineering Corporation signed the project agreement at the cost of Rs7.34 billion to construct the tunnel.