A breakthrough was successfully conducted in the construction of the rescue tunnel of the Nagdhunga-Sisnekhola tunnel on Monday.
A breakthrough of the rescue tunnel was witnessed on Monday after three years and seven months of the beginning of the construction.
The breakthrough was carried out in presence of Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport, Prakash Jwala, Japanese Ambassador to Nepal, Kikuta Yutaka, as well as officials from the concerned ministries, Department of Roads and Embassy of Japan.
Minister of State for Physical Infrastructures and Transport Nanda Chapai, MPs, Secretary at the Ministry Keshav Kumar Sharma and others witnessed the breakthrough of the tunnel.
Although breakthrough of the main tunnel is still awaited, vehicles can now pass towards Kathmandu and Dhading from the tunnel from yesterday, said Consultancy Engineer Ramesh Prasad Koirala. There are seven cross passages in a 2.5 kilometer long and 4.5 meter wide tunnel.
The length of the main tunnel of the project is 2,688 meters. A total of 2,186 meters of tunnel has been dug till Monday. The tunnel is installed as a separate parallel tunnel to provide safe evacuation to road users in case of an emergency, which also has the facility of ventilators and jet fans.
‘Nagdhunga Tunnel Construction Project’ is the first of its kind in Nepal and its objective is to improve the road condition around Nagdhunga pass, thereby contributing to achieve the smooth transportation network and improve commercial activities between Kathmandu and other cities in Nepal.
Likewise, it would also save time and reduce the consumption of petroleum products and reduce air pollution. The construction of the tunnel began in October 2019 and is expected to complete by April 2024.
The then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli had laid the foundation stone for the construction of the tunnel on October 23, 2019.
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