Churia Tunnel: The First Tunnel Road of Nepal & Asia Built in 1917
In this article, I am going to share about the Churia Tunnel of Nepal & Asia which was built in 1917. The tunnel built exactly 100 years ago is an important part of Nepal’s modern history.
The Churia Tunnel connects the Nepal’s first motorable gravel road between Amlekhgunj (Bara District) and Bhimphedi (Makwanpur).
The tunnel road at Churia Hill was designed by and built under the supervision of Chief Engineer Colonel Dilli Jung Thapa who was the son of Col. Harka Jung Thapa and Grandson of Col. Gajaraj Singh Thapa, Governor of Eastern Nepal.
The entrance to the Churia tunnel is near Hetauda. The tunnel goes under the Churia mountain range. It is 9 ft wide, 10 ft high and 785 ft long. The 500-metre tunnel was built in 1917 and was in use till the early 1960s, after which the highway bypassed it. Nepal Transport’s Chevrolet bus was a tight fit in the tunnel. The tunnel, 9-kilometer away from Hetauda City, was constructed to cross the Churiya Mountain Range on the way from Birjung to Kathmandu 100 years ago.
WATCH VIDEO ON CHURIA ROAD TUNNEL