A loan agreement has been signed with the Japanese government to construct a flyover and underpass on the Tinkune-Jadibuti section, which is prone to traffic jams. Secretary Ghanshyam Upadhyay and Japanese Ambassador Maeda Toru signed the ‘Exchange of Notes’ at the Ministry of Finance on Wednesday in the presence of Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal.

The loan agreement was signed by Joint Secretary Dhaniram Sharma, Chief of the Ministry's International Economic Relations Division, and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) Nepal Chief Mitsuzaki Mazuki. 

As per the agreement, Japan will provide a loan of 34.59 billion Japanese yen (about 31.76 billion rupees) for the project. The Ministry of Finance has stated that the grace period of the loan received through JICA will be 10 years, the repayment period will be 30 years, and the interest rate will be 0.2 percent per annum. The Department of Roads under the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport will implement the project. 

After the signing, JICA Nepal Chief Mitsuzaki Mazuki, Ambassador Maeda Toru, and Finance Minister Rameshwor Khanal expressed their commitment to further advance bilateral cooperation. Japanese Ambassador Toru expressed confidence that the implementation of the Koteshwor Chowk Improvement Project, which will be implemented with Japan's concessional loan assistance, will improve the transportation management of the valley.

With the loan agreement, the way has been opened to move forward with the construction process of flyover and underpass in the Koteshwor section, which is prone to heavy traffic jams. The Cabinet meeting held on 2 Bhadra had decided to take concessional loan assistance from the Japanese government for the implementation of the Koteshwor Intersection Improvement Project. 

After the information about the loan agreement reaches the Road Department through the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure and Transport, its implementation process will move forward, said Arjun Prasad Aryal, Head of the Road Department's Development Assistance Implementation Division. 'First, we will move forward with the process of selecting a consultant,' he said, 'after that, we will start a detailed survey and design.' He said that although only a feasibility study has been done so far, a detailed study will now be carried out. 

'A flyover will be built from Tinkune Bridge to Munibhairav ​​Temple,' Aryal said, 'Although it was said to build a tunnel first from under the temple, it has been said to build a 'cut and cover'. First, the soil is cut and dumped in it, and then a slab is made for vehicles to drive on top.' He said that the underpass and flyover will not cause any problems in the passage of aircraft. According to the pre-feasibility study, a 665-meter-long flyover will be constructed from Tinkune to near the Munibhairav ​​Temple.

A 610-meter-long underpass will be constructed near the Munibhairav ​​Temple from under the Tribhuvan International Airport. From there, a 238-meter-long flyover will be constructed to connect it to the new bridge built on the Manohara River. JICA had conducted a pre-feasibility study for about one and a half years. After the pre-feasibility study, the Roads Department had stated that a tunnel would be built from under the airport via the Munibhairav ​​Temple.

‘Cut and cover’ is also like a tunnel, but the slab is placed from above, it can be called like the underpass in Kalanki,’ Aryal said, ‘After a detailed study, the length may vary.’ Now, a consultant will be selected for the design, Aryal said. ‘It will take about one and a half years to select a consultant,’ he said, ‘We will start construction within two years.’