The long-awaited Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway saw significant progress with breakthroughs in two major tunnels in May. Breakthrough was achieved in one of the 'twin tube tunnels' of 1.43 km at Lendanda on May 17. A week later, a similar breakthrough occurred at the Dhendre Tunnel of the expressway. The 76-km Kathmandu-Tarai Expressway, links the capital city of Kathmandu with Nijgadh in southern Nepal. Once completed, it is expected to significantly reduce travel time. Featuring 89 bridges and six tunnels, the expressway represents the most complex road construction project ever undertaken in Nepal.

Under the management of the Nepal Army, a contract was signed on May 14, 2021, to construct tunnels at three locations: Mahadevtar, Lendanda and Dhendre. The agreement was reached with two Chinese companies, China State Construction Engineering Corporation Limited and Poly Changda Engineering Co Ltd. These companies were tasked with constructing a special bridge along with the tunnels within three and a half years, with an investment of Rs 50.14 billion. While these three tunnels were slated for completion within this timeframe, only two tunnels have achieved breakthroughs with six months remaining.

The total length of the tunnels under construction at these three locations is 6.618 km. According to the Nepal Army, the cost of the first package, including the tunnel and bridge, amounts to Rs 21.61 billion, while the second package costs Rs 28.53 billion. Although there were no issues with the Mahadevtar tunnel in Package No. 1, disputes arose concerning the Dhendre and Lendanda tunnels in Package No. 2.