Nagadhunga-Sisne river tunnel will be operational from next January. This is Nepal's first road tunnel. Now its construction has reached its final stage. The construction period is till next October. The contracting agency has been claiming that all work can be done by Dasain.

It will become operational after the selection of the agency to operate the tunnel through the contract process. Sanjay Panthi, Senior Divisional Engineer of the Nagadhunga Tunnel Construction Project said that the work will be completed by January. 

According to him, 90 percent of the construction has been completed so far. "Most of the work inside the tunnel has been completed," he said. Panthi said that its construction has also been completed. According to him, vehicles going to the tunnel from Kathmandu will use the flyover. From Dhading to Kathmandu 

A separate road has been made from below the flyover for vehicles coming. Similarly, the construction of a two-lane road of 2.6 kilometers leading from the flyover to the tunnel has been completed. 

The construction of the tunnel, which started on November 4, 2076, was supposed to be completed within 42 months. But the work is not finished even after 67 months. It is claimed that the project was delayed to be completed on time due to the covid and later due to local obstacles. He said that the work did not speed up due to frequent obstructions by the locals. "There is no problem now," he said, "the work is being done as fast as possible."

The project says that it will take 33 minutes to reach Balumbu from Sisne river via Nagadhunga road and 23 minutes to exit. But after the tunnel is operational, it will reach Kisipdi in Balambu from Sisne river within 7 minutes. Since the project started, 3 underpasses, 4 box culverts, 1 overpass, 3 bridges have been constructed. Painting inside the tunnel is in its final stages. Some sections of the emergency tunnel are being finished. 15 jet fans passing oxygen and CC cameras have been installed.  There is a fixed fee to be paid for using the

tunnel. The road department proposed the fee according to the cost of tunnel operation and sent it to the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport. The ministry has sent the fee proposal to the road board and the board has sent it to the office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers. The fee sent by the ministry to the board is different according to the vehicle. 

Cars, vans, pickups, tractors and microbuses are set to be charged the same rate when entering and exiting the valley. Initially, it was decided to charge 75 rupees for entry and 50 rupees for exit. The board said that it is going to make the same fee for entry and exit. It is estimated that such vehicles will enter in the number of 859 and leave in the number of 646. Mini bus, mini truck and tipper will be charged Rs 125 when entering the valley and Rs 100 when leaving. The project estimates that these vehicles will enter the valley in the number of 540 and leave the valley in the number of 406.