A new transport master plan for Kathmandu Valley has proposed building an underground road tunnel between Chabahil and Gaushala, one of the most congested and difficult parts of the Ring Road for expansion.
What is being proposed?
- A twin-level tunnel of about 1.56 km (1,563 metres) is planned directly under the existing Chabahil–Gaushala stretch of the Ring Road, according to the draft Kathmandu Valley Urban Transport System Master Plan prepared with support from JICA.
- The project cost has been estimated at around Rs 65.1 billion (about 68.5 billion Japanese yen) including design, construction, technical support, land purchase and compensation, according to the proposal.
- The plan is still at study and recommendation stage. The final master plan report is expected to be submitted to the government by August, after which the government will decide whether and how to move ahead.
How will the tunnel work?
- The tunnel would be built below the existing four-lane surface road, not by widening it.
- It is designed as a two-level tunnel:
- Upper level: traffic towards Chabahil
- Lower level: traffic towards Gaushala
- Each level is planned to have a 6.5-metre-wide carriageway, enough for two standard lanes of motor vehicles.
- A separate emergency escape tunnel is proposed below the lower level to allow safe evacuation and emergency access if an incident occurs inside the main tunnel.
Construction method and traffic impact
- The proposal suggests using a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) to excavate the tunnel, a method already being used in Nepal for projects like the Nagdhunga–Sisneri tunnel with Japanese cooperation.
- A launch shaft is planned to the north of Chabahil Chowk, and a receiving shaft near Gaushala.
- Because most of the excavation would happen underground, the study says surface traffic should face relatively limited disruption, though managing spoil (excavated material), heavy vehicles, and work yards in a dense urban area will remain a major challenge for traffic management.
Heritage and utility challenges
- Conventional road widening or a large flyover has been considered difficult in this section due to dense settlement and the nearby UNESCO-listed Pashupatinath heritage zone. Past plans to widen the Ring Road here have stalled because of compensation issues and heritage concerns.
- For the tunnel plan, the master plan requires a Heritage Impact Assessment (HIA) and archaeological study before construction, given the sensitive location.
- The study also recommends creating a dedicated underground utility corridor to relocate and organise water supply, sewerage and telecom lines, which currently run along or under the road in a scattered way. This is meant to reduce future road digging and service disruptions.
Part of a bigger plan for Kathmandu roads
- The Chabahil–Gaushala tunnel is one of 19 proposed transport projects under the new master plan for the Kathmandu Valley.
- Other proposals in the same package include elevated roads, underpasses, overpasses, modern bridges, underground parking facilities and new transport corridors across the valley.
- The combined investment for all proposed projects is estimated at over Rs 200 billion, according to the draft master plan.
For vehicle users in Kathmandu, this tunnel—if approved and funded—could eventually offer a grade-separated, all-weather route under one of the city’s worst bottlenecks, while keeping surface-level impacts on homes and heritage structures relatively limited. However, timelines, financing arrangements and detailed designs will only become clear after the government formally accepts the master plan and moves to project preparation.
Reported by the Nepal AutoMart news desk. Prices verified against Nepal AutoMart's own distributor-sourced data.
