Construction of the long-delayed second phase of Kathmandu’s Ring Road widening project will begin only after Dashain, despite Nepal and China completing most of the preparatory work and moving closer to finalising the project’s design.

The project has faced repeated delays over the years, first because of slow preparatory work on the Nepali side and later due to delays in the arrival of Chinese technical teams. Although official procedures have now largely been completed, construction has yet to begin.

A delegation led by Arjun Prasad Aryal, chief of the Development Cooperation Implementation Division under the Department of Roads, recently returned from China after holding discussions on the final design.

“We proposed a few additional structures and pointed out some omissions in the design,” Aryal said. “Once the final design is approved, the Chinese side will select the construction contractor.”

The detailed design is being prepared by Chinese state-owned firms CCCC First Highway Consultants and Xi’an Fangzhou Engineering Consulting, acting as official consultants to the Chinese government.

According to Aryal, the consultants are expected to submit the final design to the relevant Chinese authorities within a week. Nepal has also requested that the existing culvert at Dhungedhara be replaced with a concrete bridge.

He said the contractor is expected to be selected before the monsoon. The company will then send a team to Nepal to establish its site office and complete preliminary preparations. However, physical construction will begin only after the Dashain festival.

“At present, discussions are only taking place with the consultants,” Aryal said. “Even if the contract is signed before the monsoon, construction will start after Dashain.”

He expressed confidence that there would be no further major delays.

“Some delays occurred on our side, while others were on the Chinese side,” he said. “Those issues have now been resolved. Once the contractor is selected, work can proceed.”

The Nepali delegation is expected to brief Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport Sunil Lamsal on the latest progress. Nepal and China signed the Project Implementation Agreement on April 29 in Kathmandu in an effort to expedite the project.

The Chinese government is providing a grant of around Rs11 billion for the second phase of the expansion. The project gained momentum after the Cabinet decided on February 24 to waive customs duties and taxes on construction materials.

The second phase covers an 8.2-kilometre section from Kalanki to near Basundhara Chowk.

Under the proposed design, a concrete bridge will replace the existing culvert at Dhungedhara, while three disability-friendly overhead pedestrian bridges will be built between Sitapaila and Balaju-Machhapokhari, and between Samakhusi and the Basundhara Police Post. Streetlights will also be installed along the entire Kalanki-Basundhara section.

The first phase of the Ring Road expansion, from Koteshwor to Kalanki, began in 2012 and was completed in 2018. The two governments signed a government-to-government agreement the same year to widen the remaining section from Kalanki to Basundhara.

At present, the road has four lanes between Kalanki and Sitapaila, while the remainder has only two. Once completed, the section will be expanded to eight lanes, excluding service roads.

China had originally considered extending the project to Narayan Gopal Chowk. However, it scaled back the plan after authorities encountered difficulties clearing houses and other structures along a 600-metre stretch between Basundhara Chowk and Narayan Gopal Chowk.

The project was subsequently limited to the section ending near the Basundhara culvert.

Meanwhile, the Kathmandu Road Division has completed the 700-metre stretch from Narayan Gopal Chowk to Chappal Karkhana using government funds. Preparations are also under way to widen the remaining 1.2-kilometre section from Chappal Karkhana to the Dhobikhola bridge.