Atal Tunnel – World’s Longest Highway Tunnel Above 10,000 Feet

8.8-km strategic Rohtang Tunnel, being built at 10,000 metres above sea level between Himachal Pradesh’s Manali and Leh in Ladakh, will be opened by September-end.

The Rs 3,200-crore tunnel will shorten the 474-km distance between Manali and Leh by 46km, which means the eight-hour journey will be cut by half. “There are CCTV cameras at every 60 metres and emergency exit tunnels at every 500 metres inside the tunnel. The tunnel will reduce the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kilometres and four hours can be saved,” said KP Purushothaman, Chief Engineer.

Atal Tunnel

The tunnel is also called Atal Tunnel after former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had announced the project on June 3, 2000. The work was entrusted to the Border Roads Organisation (BRO). “Atal Tunnel, connecting Manali to Leh, is the world’s longest highway tunnel above 10,000 feet. The estimated period for completion of this tunnel was less than 6 years but it was completed in 10 years,” said Purushothaman.

The project had faced geological challenges that had pushed the deadline since digging started in 2011. “The induction and de-induction of resources was a difficult task while it was under construction. We did face a lot of challenges but together we were able to complete its construction. The tunnel’s width is 10.5 metres, including footpath of 1 metre on both sides,” said Purushothaman.

Atal Tunnel

Colonel Parikshit Mehra, Director, Atal Tunnel project said, “We have had this dream to connect Leh and this was the first step to the connectivity ladder. This tunnel was a challenging project because we were working only from two ends. The other end was in North, across the Rohtang Pas which was accessible only for around five months in a year,” he added.

Here is everything you need to know about the Atal Tunnel –

• More than 700 men are working in shifts to complete the work of the tunnel. When the coronavirus pandemic-enforced lockdown was imposed, proactive measures were taken to recommence work in active coordination with the state government.
• Defence Minister Rajnath Singh was to inspect the work at the tunnel last month, but due to the stand-off between India and Chinese troops, this trip was cancelled. Singh is likely to visit the Rohtang tunnel at the end of this month.
• The speed limits in the tunnel will be 80 km per hour. The tunnel will accelerate troop mobility to strategic frontiers in Jammu and Kashmir, besides providing a road link to Lahaul and Spiti in the winters.
• The tunnel has the capacity to ply 3,000 vehicles per day under any weather condition.
• Himachal Pradesh will run Vistadome buses inside the Atal tunnel when it is inaugurated next month. Vistadome buses will have a glass rooftop for a panoramic view through the hilly region.

The tunnel is now ready for formal opening.

India’s nuclear journey, a paradigm shift