East-West Highway expansion underway

By Nayak Paudel(Kathmandu)/Hari Prasad Koirala (Urlabari)/Dhirendra Prasad Sah (Janakpur)/Shaligram Nepal (Chitwan)/Bom Lal Giri (Nawalpur)Dec. 17: The 1,028-kilometre East-West Highway (formerly Mahendra Highway) that passes through the Tarai from Kakarbhitta, Jhapa, in the east to Banabasa, Kanchanpur, in the west has been the country's main artery for over half a century.

However, it had to wait decades for proper upgrades and expansion. Five years have passed since the foundation stone was laid to upgrade it from the Narayangadh-Butwal section in 2019.

Except Karnali Province, a province without a Tarai district, the East-West Highway (EWH), the longest highway in Nepal, passes through the remaining six provinces. Of the six provinces, no work to expand it has begun in Sudurpashchim Province.

In the budget speech for the fiscal year 2023/24, the government stated to accelerate the expansion of the EWH to four lanes under the category ‘Transport Infrastructure’.

“The expansion and upgrading of the Narayangadh-Butwal and Kamala-Kanchanpur sections will be completed in the next fiscal year. The upgrading of the Kamala-Dhalkewar-Pathlaiya, Butwal-Gorusinge, Kakarbhitta-Laukahi, Pathlaiya-Narayangadh, and Lamahi-Bhaluwang road sections will commence. Construction of signature bridges over the Narayani River and the Tinau River will begin. A budget of Rs. 31.02 billion has been allocated for the expansion and upgrading of the EWH,” the budget speech read.

The Narayangadh-Butwal section’s upgrade started after the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved loan assistance to Nepal for the project. Since then, the ADB has provided further loan assistance to upgrade several sections of the longest highway.

In a statement on December 1, 2016, the ADB informed the approval of a USD 186.80 million loan to upgrade the 160km of strategic road network – 115km section from Narayangadh to Butwal

 and 45km feeder road from Bhairahawa to Taulihawa – to improve the country’s domestic and regional transport connectivity.

In another statement on October 4, 2018, the ADB stated that its Board of Directors approved another loan of USD 180 million to support improvements to the EWH. This loan was to improve and rehabilitate about 87km of road between Kanchanpur (Saptari) and Kamala.

In its latest loan assistance, the ADB, through a statement on May 17, 2023, disclosed the approval of USD 300 million to upgrade at least 95 kilometres of the Kakarbhitta–Laukahi road section to improve road connectivity to the international trade routes, particularly to India and Bangladesh.

“We have received around USD 660 million for the expansion and upgrade of the EWH from the ADB. The money is being used effectively along several sections of our country’s major highway,” said Sushil Babu Dhakal, Director General at the Department of Roads.

Before the approval of the loan assistance for the Narayangadh-Butwal section, the ADB, under the South Asia Subregional Economic Cooperation (SASEC), invested millions of dollars in the construction of alternate routes, especially the Koshi Bridge in Chatara along the Mid-Hill Highway, to be used when the upgrade works on EWH begins.

“Sudurpashchim will not be left far behind. The country’s longest highway, cannot be upgraded at once; it will take time. Expansion works are underway in many sections. Once completed, the expanded EWH will be one of the biggest developments in Nepal’s history,” Dhakal said.

“As per the plan, when expanded, the EWH will have a width of 24 metres (four lanes) in the jungle and rural areas and 50 metres (six lanes) in the urban areas and major bazaars,” Dhakal added.

When its construction began in 1961, the EWH was mostly a single-lane road. 

Nevertheless, none of the expansion works that have started along the EWH in the past five years has been completed despite the expiry of the deadline. Yet, when completed, traffic congestion and accidents along the highway be reduced while boosting trade and the economy.  

Expansion starting in Koshi Province

Concerned authorities have started chopping off trees along the Kakarbhitta-Laukahi section of the EWH in Koshi Province. Works on the construction of some bridges and removing structures in the market areas along the highway are also underway.

Ghanashyam Yadav, forest officer at the Morang Division Forest Office, informed that 5,556 trees along the 36.2km road that falls in Morang need to be cut for the highway’s expansion. “The trees are being removed after completing necessary procedures.”

A 97.770km road from Kakarbhitta towards Laukahi is being expanded under ADB’s loan assistance. Of this road section, 56km falls in Jhapa, 36.2km in Morang and around 10km in Sunsari districts.

Road Division, Damak, is monitoring the 45km section from Kakarbhitta to Damak, and the remaining section by the Road Division, Itahari.

“Five contracts have been awarded for different parts of the highway and bridges. The contracts have been distributed to complete the works soon,” said Jagat Prajapati, chief of Road Division, Itahari.

Three contracts have been awarded to construct 0-45km, 46-85km and 86-97.770km sections. One contractor will construct bridges over the Ninda, Biring and Kankai rivers while another will construct the bridges over the Ratuwa, Bokraha and Lohandra. Each of the six bridges will have a span of over 300 metres.

“There are no land-related issues. However, 404 structures and verandahs of 45 houses need to be removed,” said Prajapati.

Road Division officials informed that overhead bridges will be built in major market areas including Kakarbhitta, Charali, Birtamod, Jhumka and Birat Chowk. Underpasses in jungle areas are also said to be constructed.

“Nepal’s Kalika Constructions and Tungi Constructions have started clearing construction sites in a joint venture with a Chinese company. The overall section’s expansion is expected to be completed in three years,” said Sunil Babu Pant, chief of Road Division, Damak.

 Minimal progress in three years in Madhes

As per the ADB, the loan of USD 180 million was approved in 2018 to improve and rehabilitate about 87km of road from Kanchanpur to Kamala along the EWH to a four-lane dual carriageway to cater to the projected increase of traffic demand, including a new road surface and drainage.

China Railway No.2 Group, a Chinese construction company, was awarded the contract in two packages for the expansion of the EWH from Kanchanpur to Kamala in October 2020 with a deadline of three years. The budget for the project was Rs. 15.56 billion with 75 per cent investment by the ADB and the remaining by the Government of Nepal. 

The road from Saptari’s Kushaha to Kanchanpur is under the eastern package while that from Siraha’s Balan to Kamala is under the western package. Separate concrete plants are in operation in Saptari and Siraha by the construction company for the project, and they are working in both packages speedily. 

The deadline ended in October 2023 and has been extended by a year as contractors cited delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and troubles in removing electric poles and encroached structures. 

“One side of the 10-km road in Mirchaiya, Dhangadhi and Kashaha has been blacktopped to date,” said Saroj Koirala, an engineer working at the western package. 

The western package has 25 major bridges, 115 culverts, 44-km-long drainage, overpass bridges in Lahan and Mirchaiya, four underpasses in Lahan and two underpasses in Golbazaar. 

“Plasterwork has been completed in seven major bridges and paint-related works are underway. Design for the overpass in Mirchaiya has been finalised while designs for others are being prepared,” said Koirala. 

Koirala said, “Support beams of concrete are being constructed behind the doors in our plant. They only need to be transported to the bridge construction site. Since the majority of our works are going inside the plant, the progress is not much visible.”

Khadgalal Shrestha, chief of the eastern package, informed that 29 bridges, 114 culverts and 6km drainage are being constructed along the 39km section from Kanchanpur to Kushaha. 

“Plasterwork of two of the 29 bridges has been completed and the culvert-related works are at the final stages. Pile foundation works have been completed in all open bridges and precast concrete bridge beams have been prepared in our plant and are waiting to be set for other bridges,” said Shrestha.

However, only a kilometre of the 33-km four-lane section and 6-km six-lane section under the eastern package has been blacktopped as of December 10 this year. “The eastern package has made a financial progress of 30 per cent and physical progress of 34 per cent,” Shrestha added.

The Korea-based Kunhwa Engineering and Consulting Corporation Limited and Bangladesh-based BCL Associates Limited are the consultants for the project in Madhes overseen by Nepal. 

Bharatpur’s section lacks budget

The deadline for the expansion of the 6.8km section from Pulchowk to Gondrang in Bharatpur, Chitwan, is being expanded for the second time citing a lack of budget and land acquisition-related compensation issues.

“The contract for the 6.8km section was awarded in 2020 with a deadline of two years. The first deadline extension by a year ended this month and the process to extend it further is underway,” said Chandeshwor Sah, information officer at Road Division, Bharatpur.

The physical progress of the project stands at 75 per cent. “The project’s total budget is Rs. 1.23 billion. We have to pay Rs. 450 million to the contractor company. But the government has only allocated Rs. 50 million for the project this fiscal year. As there is no sufficient budget, the contractor is delaying the work,” said Sah.

Sahadev Khadka, chief of the construction company for Bharatpur, said, “We have no trouble in completing the project if the government reimbursed the cost of the project.”

As the project has been stalled midway, the locals, especially in the Narayangadh Bazaar area, have been troubled by dust and poor roads.

“A study to expand the road from the Lothar River, the eastern border of Chitwan, to Pulchowk to six lanes has been completed. Our duty is to study and that of the higher authorities to allocate the necessary budget for completing it in real,” said Sah.

4.5 years passed by Narayngadh-Butwal

With a deadline of three and a half years, expansion work of the 115km Narayngadh-Butwal section began in 2019.  Four years and eight months have passed since then, but even half of the work along the 115km section has not been completed.

The delay has affected not only the locals and commuters but also increased the financial burden on the government. A budget of Rs. 16.99 billion, with 85 per cent covered by loan assistance from the ADB, was allocated by the government. However, the delay has increased the project cost to Rs. 17.02 billion.

China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited (CSCEC), the contractor, has divided the 115km section into two packages. The 64.425km road from Gaindakot to Daunne falls under package A while the 48.535km road from Daunne to Butwal is under package B.

According to the project officials, the physical progress of packages A and B stands at 42.05 per cent and 38.5 per cent respectively.

“One side of the 16.6km road in package A and 19.5km road in package B have been blacktopped to date,” said Rakesh Jha, project manager for CSCEC.

The project’s deadline has been extended twice. The latest extension was 330 days (around 11 months) from August 28 this year. On the other hand, the contractor states that the extension is insufficient.

“We have a 19-month-long action plan to complete 95 per cent of the project by March 2025. The extension of 330 days will not suffice. We have demanded an extension of 24 months,” said Jha, adding, “As per the contract agreement, we need to look after repairs for the next five years of the completion of the section. We will complete the remaining five per cent of the work in that period.”

“We have felt complete support from the locals and authorities. The current major problem is the inability to cut off electricity supply when in need. We need it most of the time, but if we do so, it affects the locals,” Yuan Zhenkun, contract manager for the CSCEC, said.

Stressing that there were no problems to complete the project at the earliest, Ashish Thapa, chief of the eastern package, said, “The contractor cannot evade saying that it can complete the work only until 2025. They should increase the number of manpower and double their work, but they should complete it in time.”

“Only 42 per cent of work has been completed along the package. The deadline ends in the next seven months and the remaining 48 per cent of work should be completed by then,” Thapa added.

While CSCEC and road officials do not see any more problems, 

Nawalpur’s Chief District Officer (CDO) Kalpana Shrestha highlighted that crusher industries were not paid their money.

“As the crusher industries have to be paid a huge amount, they have warned of obstructing the construction work if they do not receive their money soon,” said CDO Shrestha.

According to the Federation of Nepal Crusher and Mining Industry Entrepreneurs’ Chairman Bhojendra Rayamajhi, the contractor company has to pay around Rs. 200 million to the crusher industries.