Lumbini, Jan 24: The breakthrough of the main tunnel of the under-construction Siddhababa tunnel is taking place today. Siddhababa tunnel way is a project of national pride. The construction of the one kilometre 126 metres tunnel from the upper Siddhababa Temple on the Butwal-Tansen road section under the Siddhartha Highway has been completed.
Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli is scheduled to carry out the breakthrough of the main tunnel today.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bishnu Prasad Paudel, Minister for Physical Infrastructure Devendra Dahal among other government high-officials will be present in the programme. Project Head Krishna Raj Adhikari said that all preparations have been completed for the final breakthrough inauguration by the Prime Minister.
The area from the lower Siddhababa Temple to Dobhan of Palpa along the Siddhartha Highway is the most landslide prone region. The tunnel has been constructed to make this section of the highway safe as landslides occur even during the dry season.
The Department of Roads had called for international tender for the construction of the tunnel on May 23, 2021 after a meeting of the Council of Ministers in 2020 allocated the budget for the tunnel. Three emergency bypasses have been constructed in case of any problem in the tunnel. The breakthrough of the third and first bypass had been done on September 11 and 20 respectively while the breakthrough of the third bypass was done on December 22, 2024.
The first bypass is 151 metres long, the second 161 metres long and the third one is 130 metres long. The first bypass is towards the upper Siddhababa Temple and the third bypass is towards the dam site.
The 1.12-kilometre tunnel will have double lanes with a width of 8.5 metres along with sidewalks. China State Construction Engineering Corporation started construction of the project at a cost of Rs 7 billion 342 million and 140 thousand. The project will be completed in 2027.
The Siddhababa-Dobhan road section is the main link between more than a dozen districts in the plains and the hills, including Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Kaski, Parbat and Baglung districts. It is one of the busiest highways of Nepal with more than 5,000 vehicles plying the road section every day.
