The 27-kilometer ring road expansion has still not been completed. So far, only 11.09 kilometers have been expanded. The expansion of the remaining 15.91 kilometers remains uncertain.
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A tender was announced on Asar 32 for the expansion of a one-kilometer section of the Ring Road from Chappal Factory to near the Dhobikhola Bridge. According to Subodh Kumar Devkota, head of the Road Division Office Kathmandu, the cost of the tender, which is open until Saun 21, is about 510 million rupees. He stated that if the contract is awarded on time, work will begin before Dashain.
Devkota said that an eight-lane road, including service lanes, will be constructed on this section. "The work will be completed within 18 months from the date of the contract agreement," he said. The road is being expanded for 200 meters from the Dhobikhola Bridge towards Sukedhara. Devkota explained that the 200 meters is being included because an access road will be needed when constructing a new bridge over Dhobikhola. "A study is underway to build a new bridge over Dhobikhola. We are preparing to call for a tender within the current fiscal year," he said. "When the bridge is built, we will construct the remaining 200 meters of road."
The 27-kilometer Ring Road expansion has still not been completed. So far, only 11.09 kilometers have been finished. There is still uncertainty regarding the expansion of the remaining 15.91 kilometers. Work has not been possible on the approximately 600-meter section from Basundhara to Narayangopal Chowk due to problems demolishing houses and structures in the area. Although there were initial discussions with the Chinese government for the expansion from Kalanki to Narayangopal Chowk, China withdrew after problems arose regarding the demolition of houses and other structures in that area.
Although there were initial discussions with the Chinese government for the expansion from Kalanki to Narayangopal Chowk, China withdrew after problems arose regarding the demolition of houses and other structures in that area.Currently, China has proposed to expand the road only from Kalanki to near the Basundhara culvert, and the process is moving forward accordingly. The Nepal government has already constructed a 700-meter expansion of the third section of the Ring Road with its own investment. The expansion of the section from Narayangopal Chowk to Chappal Factory under the third section was completed within 13 months of starting. According to the Road Division Office Kathmandu, this section was expanded to eight lanes, including service lanes.
After the study for the construction of a new bridge over Dhobikhola is completed, the estimated cost of the bridge will be determined. Devkota stated that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is conducting a study of the Chabahil to Pingalasthan section. "JICA has been studying this section for six months; whether a flyover or a tunnel can be built will be known after the study report is finalized," Devkota said. "A budget has been allocated this fiscal year for the study of constructing an underpass from Basundhara to Bhatbhateni at Narayangopal Chowk, so we will complete this study within the current fiscal year."
According to the Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police Office, around 400 to 500 passenger vehicles travel on the Ring Road daily. Due to increasing traffic, there are daily traffic jams. The third section could have been expanded from Narayangopal Chowk to Dhobikhola Bridge. However, due to a lack of budget, work could not be done on that section, so the Road Division Office Kathmandu has announced a tender to expand it as the fourth section.
Under the Ring Road, expansion of the first section, Koteshwor–Kalanki, covering 10.4 kilometers, began in 2069 BS. In Magh 2075, China handed over the completed section to the Government of Nepal. This section was constructed with a grant of 5 billion rupees from the Chinese government.
Eight years after the completion of the first section, preparations are finally underway to expand the second section, Kalanki–Basundhara (8.2 kilometers). In 2018, a G2G agreement was signed with the Chinese government for the expansion of this road section. Initially, work could not progress because the Chinese team insisted that preparatory work be completed before they arrived.
The work was further delayed due to COVID. Now, the second section is set to be expanded with a grant from the Chinese government. According to the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, China will provide a grant of about 11 billion rupees for this. The Chinese side is in the final stage of designing the second section of the Ring Road, and Arjun Prasad Aryal, head of the Development Assistance Implementation Division under the Department of Roads, claims that construction will begin before Dashain.
