Kathmandu, April 13

As an alternative to the country’s East-West (Mahendra) Highway, the government is preparing to construct the 1,100-kilometre-long Chure highway, which extends from Kakadvitta in the east to Kanchanpur in the west.

According to Mukti Gautam, spokesperson for Department of Roads (DoR), the contract to construct the 315-kilometre-long section of the highway from Dharan to Hetauda has already been awarded. The section will pass through Chatara, Gaighat and Sindhuli. The contractor has already completed 25 per cent of work on this section till date. “The Dharan-Hetauda section will be completed in two years,” said Gautam.

After the Dharan-Hetauda section of the double-lane Chure Highway is completed, DoR plans to start construction on other sections and has mentioned that it will be adding more budget so that the project is completed on time.

“The feasibility study of the 150-km long Dharan-Kakadvitta section has already begun,” informed Gautam. Meanwhile, the local authorities have already opened up the track for a 95-km-long section along this segment.

Till date, expenses of around Rs four billion have already been made for construction of the Dharan-Hetauda section. DoR has estimated that it will require additional Rs five billion to complete this section.

The DoR has divided the Dharan-Hetauda section of the Chure Highway into two segments for construction of bridges along the route. The eastern section will have a total of 33 bridges and the western section will have a total of 43 bridges. The contract for construction of bridges has also been already awarded.

According to Gautam, the 150-km-long Dharan-Sindhuli segment has been classified as the eastern section and the 165-km-long Sindhuli-Hetauda segment has been classified as the western section.

After the Dharan-Hetauda section is completed, construction of Hetauda-Chitwan section will be started.

The DoR has informed that the Chure Highway will be located 25 to 30 kilometres to the north of Mahendra Highway and 25 to 30 kilometres south of the Pushpalal Highway. “If the government provides the required budget on time, we will be able to complete the highway within 10 years,” Sharma added.

The total construction cost of the 1,100-km-long Chure Highway is expected to hover around Rs 50 billion. The DoR has informed that per kilometre construction cost of the highway will stand at around Rs 60 million. However, actual construction cost of highway will be ascertained only after the detailed project reports of all the sections are prepared.