Naubise-Nagdhunga tunnel formally inaugurated [With Pictures]

KATHMANDU: The Nagdhunga–Sisnekhola Tunnel has been officially inaugurated.

Minister for Infrastructure Development Sunil Lamsal inaugurated the tunnel in the presence of Japanese Ambassador to Nepal Maeda Toru and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) President Dr Akihiko Tanaka amid a ceremony on Monday.

According to officials, the tunnel will initially be open only to ambulances, fire engines, security agencies and other emergency service vehicles. They say the tunnel will be gradually opened to other vehicles after assessing safety and traffic management during a trial period of about three months.

No toll will be charged during the trial period. Once regular operations begin, however, cars, vans, buses, trucks, and other eligible vehicles will have to pay the prescribed tolls.

Motorcycles, scooters, three-wheelers and vehicles carrying flammable or explosive materials will not be allowed to enter the tunnel.

The tunnel, which has come into operation after about 80 months of construction, connects Dahachok in Kathmandu with Sisnekhola in Dhading. It is expected to ease congestion and eliminate the winding route along the Nagdhunga road section by reducing travel time by up to one hour.

The project was built at a cost of around Rs 25 billion through concessional financing from the Government of Japan.

Meanwhile, the government has introduced a specialized digital payment card, N-Tag, which operates on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, for seamless transactions at tunnel entry and exit points.

Managed by the Road Board under the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, the payment infrastructure is designed to ensure a faster and more efficient flow of traffic through the critical transit point.

The toll gates will open automatically for vehicles with N-tag stickers on their windscreen and the toll fee will be collected electronically without any hassle.