Churia_Tunnel
Churia Tunnel
Highway tunnel through the Churia hill between Makwanpur and Bara districts of Nepal
The Churia Tunnel (Nepali: चुरिया सुरुङ्ग) is a 500 m (1,600 ft)-long highway tunnel carved through the churia hill between Makwanpur and Bara of Nepal. It was constructed connecting the country's first motorable road between Amlekhganj in the terai and Bhimphedi settlement of Makwanpur, the point of entry into Kathmandu which served as a dry port, in the trade route between Kathmandu and Raxaul.[1]
It was the country's first highway tunnel. Constructed in 1917 to reduce the travel time between the Indian border and Bhimphedi it has since fallen into disrepair.[2] The entrance lies at the premises of the Churia (Churiya) Temple off Mahendra Highway in the outskirts of Hetauda, and efforts are ongoing to conserve the remaining structure.[1]