The Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway project is unlikely to be completed within its revised deadline of mid-April 2027, as only 48 percent of physical progress has been achieved so far, according to officials.

They said the project would need at least another two or three years for completion as a dispute over a 6.5-kilometre stretch in Khokana, Lalitpur, remains unresolved, with the government yet to decide on the proposed toll plaza at Pharsidol. Construction in the area has remained stalled.

Failure to revise the detailed project report for the Khokana section has further delayed progress.

The 70.977-kilometre national pride project, being constructed by the Nepali Army, was originally targeted for completion by mid-December 2024 after the Cabinet handed over its management to the Army on May 4, 2017. The then Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport formally transferred the project on August 11 that year.

The government later extended the deadline to mid-April 2027, but officials are now preparing for another extension.

Arjun Jung Thapa, a member of the National Planning Commission, said the project cannot be completed without revising the timeline again.

“Discussions are underway. The deadline must be extended by at least two to three years, otherwise the work cannot be completed,” he said. “At the same time, the project office must pressure contractors who are not working efficiently to speed up construction.”

Thapa said at least part of the four-lane expressway should come into operation within the next two years.

“The road is being built with two lanes on each side. Out of the four lanes, two should be brought into operation within the next two years,” he said.

Although officials said the overall project cost is not expected to increase, delays in resolving disputes in the Khokana section have continued to obstruct progress.

The detailed project report for the Khokana section has also not been revised. The proposal has remained pending at the Ministry of Defence after it was returned without a Cabinet decision during the previous government led by former prime minister Sushila Karki.

Earlier this year, Karki instructed officials to move ahead with an alternative plan after years of deadlock over Khokana. The revised proposal suggests shifting the toll plaza around 3.3 kilometres away to Pharsidol and constructing a permanent bridge linking Dukuchhap and Pharsidol.

Defence Secretary Kedar Nath Sharma said the revised DPR proposal had been submitted for a decision during the previous administration, but no progress has been made since then.

“The earlier DPR remains at the ministry, and we are ready to forward it again,” he said. “The decision on extending the project deadline is linked to the DPR revision. Once the revision is approved, further discussions will determine how much time needs to be added.”

Army spokesperson Brigadier General Rajaram Basnet said the revised DPR has not yet been resubmitted to the Cabinet after the formation of the new government.

He said the Defence Ministry would be informed to resubmit the proposal, adding that there would be no problem starting work immediately once the revised DPR is approved.

Basnet also clarified that no formal discussion or decision has yet taken place regarding another extension of the project deadline.

According to the Nepali Army, the original DPR prepared in 2018 had already proposed keeping the toll plaza at Pharsidol to facilitate local access through link roads.

The project includes seven tunnels with a combined length of 10.901 kilometres and bridges stretching 12.885 kilometres. Of the project’s 13 construction packages, contracts have been awarded, and work is underway in packages 1 through 7, as well as packages 8A, 8B, 9A, 9B and 10.

However, a decision on land acquisition for the Khokana-Dukuchhap section under package 11 is still pending.

Basnet said preparations are underway to achieve a breakthrough in the left tunnel of the 3,355-metre Mahadevtar tunnel by the end of the current fiscal year 2025-26.

Seven tunnels are currently under construction. Parallel twin tunnels are being built throughout the tunnel stretch, with one designated for traffic travelling from Kathmandu to Nijgadh and the other for vehicles heading towards Kathmandu.

The Army said breakthrough work has already been completed in the Dhedre and Lendanda tunnels, where finishing work is underway. Construction continues in the Chandram Bhir, Devichaur and Sisautar tunnels, while portal construction is ongoing at the Mauribhir tunnel.

According to the project office, foundation work has been completed on 56 of the 89 special bridges planned under the project. Substructure work has been completed on 38 bridges and superstructure work on 16.

Contracts have been awarded, and construction is ongoing at 85 bridge sites, while work on four bridges in the Khokana section has yet to begin.

In terms of road construction, sub-base work has been completed on 11.2 kilometres, base work on 5.5 kilometres and blacktopping on only 0.2 kilometres.

Construction of toll plaza and interchange facilities is also underway in the Nijgadh area. The project’s total estimated cost, including VAT, stands at Rs211.93 billion.