Nepal, July 7 -- Nepal's Terai-Madhesh Expressway, commonly known as the Fast Track, remains far behind schedule, with less than half of the project completed eight years after construction began. The estimated cost has also ballooned to more than two and a half times the original projection.

The 70.977-kilometer expressway, designed to provide the shortest road link between Kathmandu and the Tarai, is one of Nepal's most ambitious infrastructure projects. Construction was formally launched on May 28, 2017, by then Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal, with a target of completing the four-lane highway within four years.

The Nepal Army, which is leading the project, was expected to open the expressway by 2023. So far, however, physical pro...