Ladakh had been out of bounds for around six months per year for any adventurist who longed for a driving experience from Manali to Leh. Until this year, heavy snow deterred such adventures on wheels. But thanks to the Atal Tube, no more.
On Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated a new tunnel that not only promises a year-round drive from Manali to Leh but also significantly reduces the travel time between the two cities.
The 9 km Atal Tunnel, the world’s longest highway tunnel, aims to minimize the distance by 46 kilometres as well as the time by about four to five hours, respectively. The speed limit has been set at 80 kmph for cars using the tunnel.
“It is an iconic construction project constructed at the height of 10,000 feet,” PM Modi tweeted on Saturday. He said the tunnel would help the area grow.
“The # AtalTunnel would solve the region’s main connectivity problem.” The # AtalTunnel will solve the main connectivity problem.
It has many popular features for local residents and will further ‘Ease of Living’. He tweeted on Saturday that he will also enter public programs in Sissu in Lahaul Spiti and Solang Valley.
On June 3, 2000, former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee agreed to construct a strategic tunnel under the Rohtang Pass. On May 26, 2002, the cornerstone was laid.
In 2019, to honour the contribution made by him, the government agreed to name the tunnel after former PM Vajpayee.
The tunnel is also one example of the Border Roads Organisation’s competence in creating and maintaining roads at such altitudes.
It took ten years for them to give the tunnel its final form. When constructing the tunnel, the BRO faced many challenges. The most challenging stretch of the 587-meter Seri Nalah Fault Zone had to resolve significant geological, landscape, and weather challenges.
1,69,426 metric tonnes of cement 12,252 metric tonnes of steel and 1,01,336 metric tonnes of concrete were used to construct the tunnel.
By following the new Austrian tunnelling method for construction, BRO had to excavate 5,05,264 metric tonnes of soil and rocks.
ANI quoted KP Purushothaman, Chief Engineer of the Border Roads Organization, as stating, “This is a very proud moment not just for BRO but for the entire country.
The hard work BRO has put in over the last ten years is reaching the final phase. An example of Atmanirbhar Bharat is this tunnel.”
The tunnel starts at Dhundhi, 25 km from Manali, and ends near the village of Telling in the valley of Lahaul.
There is an overhead height of more than 5 meters in the horseshoe-shaped, double-lane tunnel, which means that large and heavy trucks can pass through it easily.
Every day, the tunnel can accommodate about 3,000 cars and 1,500 trucks.
