The 94.6-kilometre Nagdhunga–Muglin road, widely regarded as Nepal’s lifeline, will not be completed within the stipulated timeframe. The expansion of this crucial road section is now expected to take at least two more years to finish.
Connecting Kathmandu Valley with districts outside the capital, the road is among the most important transport corridors in the country. However, expansion work along this route has been extremely slow, causing prolonged hardship for passengers travelling via Nagdhunga.
The government allocates billions of rupees every year for road construction and improvement, and more than Rs 150 billion has been earmarked for this purpose in the current fiscal year alone. Despite such investments, roads considered the nation’s lifelines have remained incomplete for years.
In the name of road upgrading and improvement, many sections have been dug up and left unfinished. This has not only resulted in wastage of state funds but has also made travel difficult and risky—dust choking travellers in winter and muddy, slippery conditions prevailing during the monsoon. News of frequent road accidents due to the poor condition of roads has become routine.
Under the Tribhuvan Highway, the Nagdhunga–Naubise section, and under the Prithvi Highway, the Naubise–Muglin section, were contracted for upgrading on June 9, 2022. According to the agreement, the entire project was supposed to be completed by December 28, 2025. However, it has now become certain that the work will not be completed on time.
The Nagdhunga–Muglin road has been divided into two major sections. The eastern section, from Nagdhunga to Malekhu, is overseen by one project office led by Keshav Ojha. The section from Malekhu to Muglin is handled by another office headed by Sajana Adhikari.
The Nagdhunga–Malekhu section has further been divided into two subsections. The first subsection, stretching from Nagdhunga to Naubise, is 12 kilometres long. Ojha said that expansion work on this stretch is expected to be completed by the end of Falgun (mid-March). According to him, around 85 percent of the work on this section has already been completed. “We are confident that the work will be finished by the end of Falgun,” he said.
The contract for this section was awarded to Sagun Construction–Giamsu JV at a contract value of Rs 1.31 billion. The deadline for this stretch has already been extended twice. The Nagdhunga–Muglin road remains the busiest and most challenging road section in the country.
While the expansion of the Nagdhunga–Naubise section is nearing completion, progress on the Naubise–Malekhu and Malekhu–Muglin sections has been very slow.
The Naubise–Malekhu section is 43 kilometres long. In 2021, Sharma Lama JDC JV signed a contract with the Department of Roads to expand this section at a cost of Rs 5.30 billion. Ojha said that only around 50 percent of the work has been completed so far. The final deadline for completion has been set for the end of Kartik 2083 (November 2026), but it is now certain that the work will not be completed within the given timeframe.
The most problematic section is Malekhu–Muglin, where expansion is expected to take at least two more years. According to project chief Sajana Adhikari, progress on this section currently stands at just 37 percent.
She said the contractor has proposed an extension of more than two years. “No final decision has been made on the exact duration of the extension, but it is certain that the deadline will be extended,” Adhikari said.
The Sharma Giamasu JV had signed a contract with the department for this section, with a contract amount of around Rs 5 billion. The contractor has cited multiple reasons in seeking a deadline extension of over two years.
According to Ojha, once the Nagdhunga–Muglin road expansion is completed, the road width will range from a minimum of 7.5 metres to as much as 24 metres. This means the road will vary from two lanes to six lanes depending on the area. “In some places it will be two lanes, while in market areas it will be expanded to as many as six lanes,” Ojha said.
