Crucial North-South corridors making slow but steady progress

By Modnath Dhakal in Kathmandu, Hari Prasad Koirala in Urlabari Thakur Prasad Acharya in Myagdi, Nabin Subedi in Surkhet, June 22: With the conclusion of decade-long armed conflict, Nepal had announced north-south corridor projects in 2008/09 to realise an ambitious national goal to develop the country as the 'land-bridge' between two rising economic superpowers -- India and China. 

The strategic north-south Koshi Corridor, Kaligandaki Corridor and Karnali Corridor were envisioned with an aim to create infrastructure that would facilitate not only the flow of goods and people from Nepal to the neighbouring countries but also facilitate international trade between India and China. They were also supposed to expand the development to the hills and mountains and benefit millions of people across the country. 

However, the progress at these 'national pride' projects in the last one-and-a-half decades is less than encouraging. All three road projects were estimated to complete by 2013/14 but even 11 years since then, work at these projects is ongoing while they are recording cost overrun as well. 

Although the combined (revised) cost of these projects stands at Rs. 60.63 billion, the government has been unable to allocate sufficient budget to them to ensure timely completion. 

According to the North-South Trade Route Improvement Project Directorate at the Department of Roads (DoR), the government has allocated Rs. 740 million for the Koshi Corridor and the project utilised 99.20 per cent of the amount before May. Likewise, Kaligandaki Corridor's Beni-Jomsom-Korola section used up the allocated Rs. 933 million. 

Aakriti Lakhe, an engineer at the Directorate, said that the projects are reeling from the shortage of budgets for the past several years. "Most of the times, the projects (and sections) utilise the allocated budget in six months. Meanwhile, it is not easy to transfer funds from other projects to these ones," she said. 

Given the current pace of development, they are unlikely to complete even within the revised date. For example, the government has revised the completion date for Gaindakot-Ramdi-Maldhunga section of the Kaligandaki Corridor to mid-July 2027. But this project has achieved 78.50 per cent physical and 68.80 financial progress so far. The project is yet to contract out 17 bridges. 

Likewise, the Koshi Corridor's new completion date is mid-July 2029 but in the past one-and-a-half decades, the project has achieved only 41 per cent physical progress with 4-km track opening still pending.

The Karnali Corridor is witnessing more pathetic progress. The project with stipulated completion date of mid-July 2027 has achieved only 36 per cent progress at 146-km stretch of Hilsa-Simikot and only 18 per cent progress at 123-km stretch of Khulalu-Salisalla. The completion date for Khulalu-Salisalla is yet to be estimated. 

Meanwhile, the completed sections of these infrastructure undertakings have begun to play a role in economic integration and prosperity, tourism promotion, regional connectivity, and intra-national trade. 

Igniting hopes in hills 

In Sankhuwasabha’s remote Himalayan villages like Bhote Khola, Chichila, Makalu, and other surrounding areas, the lives of residents are being transformed as the north-south Koshi Highway makes a headway, although slowly. 

The sight of black-topped roads at their doorsteps, once unimaginable for locals like Yusuf Rai of Chhongarang, now allows them to travel to the district headquarters in the morning and return home by evening. 

Aimed at connecting remote Himalayan areas of Sankhuwasabha with the national road network, the Koshi Corridor is making people in the district hopeful about business ventures like hotels and agricultural enterprises. There are a few incidents of reverse migration as well. 

According to Ram Bahadur Gurung, the project chief of the North-South Koshi Road Project in Sankhuwasabha, the project aims to develop a 162-kilometre road from Khandbari to Kimathanka border point, upgrading it to a fully blacktopped standard.

However, the length of the road from Rani in Biratnagar (border point with India) to the Chinese border point in the north spans 345 km. The stretch from Rani to Sankhuwasabha is already blacktopped. 

The total estimated cost of the project is Rs. 16.2 billion

According to project spokesperson engineer Suresh Jirel, 159 kilometres of track have already been opened, with 80 kilometres gravelled, 10 kilometres blacktopped, and three kilometres constructed with RCC reinforcement.

Likewise, eleven bridges have been completed, and regular transport services are operating along 140 kilometres of road. Jirel added that blaw cktopping is ongoing between Khandbari and Dovane, while base laying is in progress between Dovane and Barun. Between Barun and Chyamtang, two separate contracts are in place to upgrade the road to gravel standard.

The track from Chyamtang to Kimathanka was opened by the Nepali Army. A detailed project report (DPR) has been prepared for blacktopping this section, and the upgrading of the track from Hung Hung to Kimathanka has already started. The construction of a 60-metre steel truss bridge over the Barun River is scheduled for completion within the current fiscal year, according to Jirel.

Project chief Gurung said a major challenge for the project remains the preparation of DPRs and securing resources for the construction of 14 additional bridges. So far, DPRs have been completed for four bridges, with discussions ongoing to proceed with the remaining bridges under a 'design 

and build' modality.

Although road construction is underway, progress on the construction of bridges over streams such as Thamjanma Khola, Thogang Khola, Teju Khola, Handak Khola, Ikuwa Khola, Sangju Khola, Pemba Khola, Chembu Khola, Chumsur Khola, Chomadengdeng Khola, Chongrang Khola, Khangju Khola, Ghongghappa Khola, and Kamu Khola has been slow. Preparations to advance bridge construction are ongoing. The bridges at Chumsur, Chomadengdeng, Chongrang, and Khangju fall under sections managed by the Nepali Army.

Progress stands at 65 per cent for the 14-km section from Khandbari to Thamserku, 55 per cent for the 12-km section from Thamserku to Kaptane, 55 per cent for the 13-km section from Kaptane to Num, and 60 per cent for the 9.2-km section from Num to Dovane. 

The bridge over the Barun River is 90 per cent complete. Sections from Barun to Hung Hung and Hung Hung to Chyamtang have recorded 25 and 35 per cent progress, respectively. The initial contracts for these sections were signed in mid-2021 with extensions now approaching their expiry dates. However, progress at various stretches of the road is not satisfactory even though the initial deadline for many of them has been revised. 

The rugged Himalayan geography, hard rock, heavy rainfall, and snowfall have posed significant challenges at the construction sites. Likewise, budget shortages, resource approval delays, land boundary demarcation issues, land disputes, and disruptions caused by the relocation of utilities (such as electric poles and water pipes) have added further obstacles, said Gurung.

Two countries, seven districts 

The Kali Gandaki Corridor, being constructed along the banks of the Kaligandaki River, is similarly reshaping the socio-economic landscape across the Gandaki and Lumbini provinces benefitting about 2 million people. 

Stretching from Sunauli border with India to Korala border with China through Nawalparasi East, Palpa, Gulmi, Baglung, Parbat, Myagdi, and Mustang, this 442-kilometre corridor links hundreds of mountain villages directly into the national road network.

The track opening of the Kaligandaki Corridor began around one-and-a-half-decades ago in 2010 while the government listed it as the national pride project in 2016/17. 

Envisioned as a tri-nation transit route of economic, cultural, and tourism importance, the corridor has been divided into an Upper Section (Maldhunga–Beni–Jomsom–Korala) spanning 202 km and a Lower Section (Gaindakot of Eastern Nawalpur–Ramdi–Maldhunga) covering 240 km.

The road upgrading began in fiscal year 2016/17 but the construction was affected due to the pandemic, budget shortages, natural disasters, landslides in Myagdi section, and contractor delays. 

So far, 85 per cent physical progress has been achieved on the Maldhunga–Beni–Jomsom–Korala road. Its completion deadline is mid-July 2026, informed project information officer Bishnu Chapagai. 

Out of 105 km of blacktopping required in the Upper Section, 80 km has been completed. Similarly, out of 97 kilometres of upgrading and gravelling, 94 kilometres have been finished. Of 19 bridges planned, 13 have been completed, and two more are expected to be completed by the end of the current fiscal year 2024/25. 

Blacktopping works are ongoing at multiple sections, and tender process for blacktopping the 10-kilometre Kagbeni–Chhusang section in Mustang has also started within this fiscal year. However, managing and controlling four major landslides in the Myagdi section remains a challenge, according to Chapagai.

According to engineer Arun Khatri, information officer for the Lower Section of the road in Palpa, out of 240 km, 198 km has been blacktopped. 

In the Parbat section, of 53 km, 32 km has been blacktopped, with the tender process ongoing for upgrading and blacktopping the remaining 20 km. Altogether, 230 km of the corridor has been blacktopped. 

The 17 km Ramdi–Ranimahal section, awarded last year for upgrading, has achieved 20 per cent physical progress, with 420 metres still awaiting contract management. 

The 44.48-km Harmichaur (Gulmi) to Balewa (Baglung) section was recently completed nearly six months ahead of schedule by Kalika Construction. Similarly, blacktopping and upgrading works are ongoing in the 10-km Balewa–Maldhunga section. 

The challenging geography and frequent landslides (12 to 14 major sites) have posed significant hurdles for road construction, Khatri said.

Excluding bridges, the project aims to complete road construction within next two years. Out of 59 planned bridges, 35 have been completed, seven are under construction, while contracts for 17 bridges are yet to be managed.

Despite being prioritised as a national pride project, construction has been affected by insufficient budget allocation, as confirmed by project chief Kalpana Adhikari. The Lower Section still has outstanding payments of around Rs. 700 million to contractors, while the Upper Section has pending payments of around Rs. 150 million, totalling Rs. 850 million.

With the completion of the Kaligandaki Corridor, increase in domestic and foreign tourist visits to Mustang is expected to substantially contribute to the region's economic growth. The corridor also connects two famous religious sites, Muktinath and Lumbini, promoting religious tourism. It is considered the shortest route connecting Nepal's northern border with China (Korala) and southern border with India (Sunauli).

Early completion of the corridor could also benefit agricultural production and mineral industries in the region. 

An arduous road to connectivity

Meanwhile, the complex terrain has posed challenges and delayed the construction of the Karnali Corridor. As of mid-June 2025, the national pride project has achieved 36 per cent physical progress and 34 per cent financial progress at the Khulalu–Hilsa section. 

Although it took one-and-a-half-decades just to open the track due to budget shortages and delays, construction work on this much-talked project has recently gained momentum.

According to Bel Bahadur Nepali, Acting Chief of the Northern Section (Hilsa–Simikot) of the Karnali Corridor Road Project, this FY 2024/25 has seen 55 per cent physical and 52 per cent financial progress under its allocated budget. He reported that construction is advancing rapidly.

The government had handed the responsibility for constructing the Khulalu–Simikot Road to the Nepali Army in 2015, citing special circumstances. The 196.3 km long Karnali Corridor from Khulalu in Kalikot to Simikot, the district headquarters of Humla, was initially planned to be completed within five years, but it took seven years just to open the track. 

The Army had requested deadline extensions citing budget constraints and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Army is currently carrying out blasting and construction work on an 11-km rocky section from Ghatpari Chaur to Bhukka Khola in Kalikot, Nepali informed. “About 3.5 km of the track had been opened between Ghatpari Chaur and Bhukka Khola last year and this year, the Army aims to open an additional 2.5 km using the allocated Rs. 100 million,” he said. 

Work is also underway to replace all the temporary Bailey bridges along the Karnali Corridor with permanent bridges. Permanent bridges are currently being constructed in Khulalu, Sannigad, Phugad, Juddi, Kuwadi Khola, Galfagad, Sallisalla, and other locations. Work on some bridge has already commenced, while others are scheduled to start within this fiscal year.

Upgrading and bridge construction works have been ongoing since last year on the Khulalu-Piluchaur section of Bajura. A separate contract worth over Rs. 4.25 billion has been awarded for an additional 50 km. Last year, six contracts worth Rs. 600 million were awarded for improvement, maintenance, gabion wall construction, and gravelling of 60 km from Khulalu to Bajura. 

Likewise, for the section from Piluchaur to Kuwadi Khola and Sallisalla in Humla, Rs. 1.12 billion has been allocated for the current fiscal year. Though the total contract value is Rs. 4.23 billion, after deductions for contingency and Value Added Tax, actual work worth Rs. 3.08 billion will be carried out.

For the repair and improvement of the 146-km Sallisalla–Hilsa section of the Karnali Corridor, a contract of Rs. 340 million has been awarded. The remaining 700-metre stretch near Simikot is yet to be constructed due to land disputes. At present, vehicles are already operating on the road connecting Khulalu to Simikot.

A multi-year contract worth over Rs. 4 billion has been signed to blacktop 50 kilometres of the Khulalu–ilsa section. 

Meanwhile, the Khulalu–Sallisalla Road Project Office in Kalikot invited bids for a Rs. 4.23 billion multi-year contract in February this year for upgrading and blacktopping the Khulalu–Sallisalla section.

For the 50-km section from Laifu in Bajura to the Humla border, contracts have been awarded in two segments. The entire Khulalu–Hilsa section spans 347 km, while the distance from Jamunaha at the Indian border to Hilsa at the Chinese border totals 508 km. 

According to Tularam Sharma, Chief of the Khulalu–Sallisalla Road Project, the multi-year contracts aim to complete upgrading and blacktopping within three years.

The Corridor passes through 13 local bodies in Kalikot, Bajura, Mugu and Humla districts. The number of Indian tourists travelling to Mansarovar is also expected to rise following the construction of the Karnali Corridor while it has been envisioned as the backbone of Karnali's development.