KATHMANDU: The long-awaited Kathmandu-Nijgarh fast-track road will be of 21 meters wide and six lane, Ministry of Finance (MoF) said here today.

The ministry has directed the Nepal Army (NA) to construct 21 meter wide, six lane fast track road that connects capital Kathmandu with Nijgarh.

Earlier, Ministry of Physical Planning and Construction (MoPPC) had directed the Nepal Army to build just a 12-meter-wide track.

The Nepal Army has been given the sole responsibility of the construction of the road and a budget amounting to Rs 250 million had been earmarked for the purpose in the current financial year.

The latest direction by the MoF follows growing traffic congestion, said Rameshwor Khanal, secretary at the ministry.

"A two-meter-wide green area will also be built in between the two lanes", he added.

"There's no dearth of budget for the road but standards should be maintained," said Khanal. Khanal said that the increasing vehicular traffic has prompted the ministry to rethink over the earlier proposal for 12-meter-wide road.

"The narrow track will not be able to accommodate future traffic," he said.

Total estimated cost of the budget for the road is Rs 60 billion, Khanal added.

The construction will start from Khokana of Kathmandu on November 9, four months late than had been proposed earlier by Minister Pandey in his budget speech.

Minister Pandey had promised to start the construction of the fast tract road no later than July 16.

As plans go, the fast-track road will link the proposed international airport located at Neejgarh of Bara district.

The MoPPC first came with a proposal for a three-meter wide road. It then revised the plan and said it wanted to extend it to 12 meter.

Finally, it was the Ministry of Finance, which intervened and directed the NA to construct the 21- meter wide road.

MoF is looking foreign donors to upgrade the track.