Siddhababa tunnel construction crosses halfway mark, lining work near completion

The long-awaited Siddhababa Tunnel on the Siddhartha Highway has reached a major milestone, with nearly 60 percent of construction work and 51 percent of financial progress completed. Six months after the breakthrough, crews have been moving quickly with invert and lining works inside the tunnel.

According to Krishna Raj Adhikari, head of the Project Office in Butwal, lining has already been finished in the main tunnel and at all three bypass entrances. Out of the tunnel’s total 1,089 metres, 994 metres have been lined. At the bypass points, 129 metres of lining has been completed at the first entrance, eight metres at the second, and 104 metres at the third.

Officials say the second phase of work involving invert and lining is now close to wrapping up. Once this is done, construction will shift to the outer section of the tunnel.

Project information officer Sabita Gyawali said slope protection is also a priority, especially at the north and south ends where landslides and falling rocks remain a serious risk. Around 17,060 square metres of slope stabilization is required, but so far only 3,500 square metres have been secured. Another 1,860 square metres of slope work is planned near the lower Tinau River, though it has not started yet.

The Siddhababa stretch has long been known for deadly landslides and rockfalls, causing repeated loss of life and damage on the Palpa–Butwal section of the highway. The tunnel project, once complete, is expected to eliminate the four-kilometre danger zone and provide safer travel for people heading to and from Palpa, Gulmi, Arghakhanchi, Syangja, Baglung, Rupandehi, Myagdi, and Kapilvastu districts.

The Rs. 7.34 billion project, contracted to China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited in February 2022, was given a five-year deadline. Gyawali said the company now aims to complete the remaining work within the next one and a half years.