KATHMANDU: Today, the main tunnel of the Siddhababa Tunnel, a project of national pride, is being finished. From the higher Siddhababa Temple, the tunnel is 126 meters and 1 kilometer away on the Butwal-Tansen portion of the Siddhartha Highway.
Senior government officials, including Minister for Physical Infrastructure Devendra Dahal, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, and Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, will supervise the main tunnel's breakthrough. According to Project Head Krishna Raj Adhikari, all the arrangements for the groundbreaking event are complete.
This region is extremely vulnerable to landslides, especially the section that runs from the lower Siddhababa Temple to Dobhan of Palpa. Given that landslides frequently happen even during the dry season, making the route dangerous, the tunnel was created to improve safety in this area.
The Department of Roads issued an international tender for the tunnel's construction on May 23, 2021, after the 2020 Council of Ministers allocated funding for the project. Emergency bypasses have also been included in the design to ensure safety and functionality in case of any issues with the main tunnel.
Breakthroughs of the bypasses have been completed on separate dates: September 11 and 20 for the first and second bypasses, and December 22, 2024, for the third. These bypasses range in length, with the first measuring 151 meters, the second 161 meters, and the third 130 meters.
For increased accessibility and safety, the tunnel will have sidewalks and double lanes that are 8.5 meters wide. The goal of this contemporary design is to give highway traffic a more dependable and seamless connection.
The project, which is being constructed by China State project Engineering Corporation, is anticipated to cost Rs 7.34 billion in total. By 2027, the project should be finished, which would be a major turning point in Nepal's infrastructural growth.
A crucial highway between the plains and the hills, the Siddhababa-Dobhan stretch links areas like Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Kaski, Parbat, and Baglung. With over 5,000 cars traveling over it every day, it is one of Nepal's busiest roadways.
The Siddhababa tunnel is anticipated to greatly benefit the area by bolstering transportation connections and promoting economic growth in the surrounding communities by resolving the ongoing landslide problems and enhancing highway safety.
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