Siddhababa tunnel nears breakthrough

BY REKHIRAM RANA,Tansen, Jan. 9: The tunnel work in the Siddhababa area of the Siddhartha Highway in Tinau Rural Municipality-3 of Palpa district has reached its final stage of breakthrough. 

 The 1,126-metre-long tunnel is expected to be completed in a few days. 

According to project chief Krishna Raj Adhikari, 1,081 metres of the tunnel have been excavated with only 8 metres remaining, 

He added that 477 metres of the tunnel on the north side and 604 metres on the south side have been completed with 38.85 per cent physical progress and 39.9 per cent financial progress. 

Adhikari informed that they had been coordinating with the Ministry of Physical Infrastructure to organise a formal inauguration programme. 

Although the tunnel breakthrough is in the final stage, it will take an additional year to make the route operational for vehicular traffic. He said that they still needed to line the interior of the tunnel and adjust the slopes. 

Additionally, road upgrades and rock netting work are still pending on both the north and south sides of the tunnel.

 Some sections of the mountain need to be cut for the rock netting, but progress has not been as fast as expected. Once the tunnel is fully excavated, work on the exterior will accelerate. The lining, drainage and electrification work inside the tunnel will still take some time, informed Sabita Gyawali, project information officer. 

So far, three bypass doors of the tunnel have already been completed. According to the project, the first bypass door is 151 metres, the second bypass door is 161 metres and the third bypass door is 130 metres. All three bypass doors were completed before December 22. 

The project of Rs. 7.35 billion was awarded to the Chinese company, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited, in early 2022 to be completed in five years. 

The construction company worked on the outer sections for two years and over the past year, successfully broke through the bypass doors and the main tunnel, Gyawali stated.

The Siddhababa area of the Siddhartha Highway has long been notorious for frequent landslides, which have caused numerous fatalities, earning it the grim nickname of the ‘death road.’ 

However, with the completion of the tunnel, passengers are hopeful for a safer journey. Every year, many travellers have to face the tragic risk of death or injury due to landslides but the tunnel will make travel safer. 

Once the tunnel is completed, it will be easier to travel to Palpa, Rupandehi, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Pokhara and Baglung.