A Chinese technical team has completed a detailed survey of the 8.2-kilometre section of the Ring Road from Kalanki to Basundhara, marking an important step forward in the long-delayed road widening project.

The two-and-a-half-month survey was conducted by 18 technicians from China’s state-owned CCCC First Highway Consultants and Xi’an Fangzhou Engineering Consultants. The team arrived in Nepal on April 19 and is scheduled to return to China within a week.

Arjun Prasad Aryal, chief of the Development Cooperation Implementation Division at the Department of Roads, said the design report will arrive from China within three months. “Once the design is submitted, we will review it within a month, make necessary revisions, and send it back for final approval,” he said.

According to Aryal, the construction contract process is expected to be completed within five months, and the contractor—who will be selected in China—will commence work shortly after. The project is being implemented under a government-to-government agreement signed in 2018, with financial support from the Chinese government.

The proposed road expansion will transform the existing road—currently four lanes from Kalanki to Sitapaila and two lanes beyond—into an eight-lane road, excluding service lanes. A flyover has been proposed at Machhapokhari to ease traffic congestion, and a bridge will be constructed near the Dhungedhara area of Banasthali to replace an existing culvert.

Sushil Babu Dhakal, chief of the Development Assistance Coordination and Quality Division under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, said the ministry has requested the Chinese engineers to design the bridge in a way that helps ease traffic flow.

Meanwhile, work on the third section of the Ring Road—from Narayan Gopal Chowk to Dhumbarahi—has slowed considerably. Although the project had set a mid-July deadline for completion, only 35 percent of the work has been completed so far, according to Narayan Dutta Bhandari, chief of the Kathmandu Road Division.

“We are now focused on completing blacktopping of one side of the road by mid-July,” said Bhandari. “But due to the monsoon, the work has been delayed. We now expect to finish this section by Dashain (October first week).” Construction of drainage systems, culverts, and retaining walls is currently ongoing.

Although the Kalanki–Basundhara stretch was originally planned to be expanded with full Chinese assistance, delays in implementation forced the Nepali government to begin widening a 700-metre portion of the road independently.