KATHMANDU: The construction of Kalanki-Maharajgunj-Chabahil road under the Kathmandu Ring Road Improvement Project has started.

The length of the stretch is 11 kilometers and will be constructed by the Chinese government at its own cost.

The Nepal government had signed a deal on the Ring Road Expansion Project with the Chinese government during Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli’s China visit in 2015.

Earlier, in the 1970s, the China government had constructed a four-lane Ring Road (Chakrapath). It had agreed to upgrade the 27-km-long Ring Road into the eight-lane road.

China has already built a 10.5-km Koteshwar-Kalanki road stretch as per the same agreement and handed it over to the Nepal government in January.

The China government has prepared its Detailed Project Report (DPR) which states that the project will be completed in the next three years, Amritmani Rimal, project chief, told Khabarhub.

As part of the road expansion drive, trees are being felled while sheds along the stretch and electric poles are being removed in the first phase, said Rimal, adding, “The other works including black-topping will begin soon.”

“We are chopping down trees and removing electric poles. The construction of the eight-lane road will start afterward.”

The Chinese team will come and initiate their work once the first phase of the work is over,” Rimal shared.

Saplings will be planted in the center and on both sides of the Kalanki-Chahabil road stretch.

The Department of Roads (DoRs) has already suggested the China government to ensure a green median along the road stretch in the DPR.

The green median will help prevent vehicular lights coming from the opposite direction at night.

Overhead bridge at New Bus Park will be pulled down

The overhead bridge located at New Bus Park will be removed in the course of expanding the four-lane road into eight-lane.

“The overhead bridge at New Bus Park will be removed once the road is widened,” he said, adding, “A new overhead bridge will be built there.”

Rimal further said that the road expansion drive from Kalanki to Chahabil will be comparatively easier as there are not many permanent structures along the stretch.

Chahabil-Koteshwar road construction to be delayed

Seven-km Chahabil-Koteshwar road will be constructed in the third phase.

According to the DoRs, the 1.3-km road stretch between Chahabil and Gaushala is sensitive from the expansion point of view as some part of the world heritage site Pashupati area overlaps this stretch.

Pashupati Area Development Trust (PADT) has already suggested the DoRs to look for options to ensure that no land of Pashupati Area is encroached upon.

Hence, the construction of Chabahil-Koteshwar road stretch is unlikely to begin immediately, added Rimal.