Kathmandu, May 23 -- Tarai Expressway project is unlikely to be completed within its revised deadline of mid-April 2027, as only 48 percent of physical progress has been achieved so far, according to officials.

They said the project would need at least another two or three years for completion as a dispute over a 6.5-kilometre stretch in Khokana, Lalitpur, remains unresolved, with the government yet to decide on the proposed toll plaza at Pharsidol. Construction in the area has remained stalled.

Failure to revise the detailed project report for the Khokana section has further delayed progress.

The 70.977-kilometre national pride project, being constructed by the Nepali Army, was originally targeted for completion by mid-December 2024 a...