A Study on the Problems and Their Consequences Associated With the Ghorahi-Tulsipur Road Project of Nepal

Abstract

Road widening projects are critical for national development, yet their stagnation can produce severe socio-economic,health, and environmental consequences. This study investigates the Ghorahi-Tulsipur Road Project in Dang District, Nepal, which, despite being financed through an Exim Bank of India soft loan under Phase III of the government's four-lane initiative, achieved only 12% physical progress after roughly three and a half years, before stalling completely. Adopting a mixed-methods design, the study combined structured questionnaires, in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, and field observations. The Relative Importance Index (RII) ranked 27 delay factors across six thematic categories, while Spearman's rank correlation and Kendall's coefficient of concordance (W = 0.641, p = 0.003) confirmed strong inter-stakeholder agreement. Findings revealed that restrictive donor-loan conditions (RII = 0.62) constrained contractor selection, leading to contractor incapability (RII = 0.78) and financial difficulty (RII = 0.71) as principal proximate causes, compounded by weak communication, coordination, and unclear regulations. Ordinal logistic regression established statistically significant links between these causes and impacts including time/cost overruns, frequent accidents (RII = 0.81), longer travel times, health complications, mental stress, environmental degradation, and declining local business activity. Triangulated solutions emphasized rigorous pre-feasibility studies, reliable fund disbursement, stricter contractor qualification, flexible donor arrangements, smaller contract packages, stakeholder-inclusive coordination mechanisms, interim maintenance provisions, and mandatory health-environmental safeguards. The study concludes that stagnation stemmed from an interconnected chain of policy, financial, and managerial failures, offering evidence-based recommendations to guide the revival of this road project and inform governance of future externally financed infrastructure projects in Nepal.