Decade on, work on Rohtang tunnel to finally start

[CONNAN]

Express news service Tags : Srinagar-Leh road, Sonia Gandhi, Rohtang tunnel Posted: Mon Jun 21 2010, 23:47 hrs New Delhi:

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/decade-on-work-on-rohtang-tunnel-to-finally-start/636287/0
More than a decade after its strategic value was realised after Pakistan tried to cut the Srinagar-Leh road during the Kargil conflict, work on the Rohtang tunnel will finally be kicked off when UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi lays the foundation stone of the project on June 28.

The 8.8-km-long tunnel, which will cut through the Himalayan range to make an all-weather road to Ladakh and the strategic Siachen glacier, was conceptualised 27 years ago but work was only accelerated following the Kargil conflict. The Rs 1,495-crore tunnel, which was cleared by the Cabinet Committee on Security last year, will be constructed with the help of Austrian firm Strabag and is expected to be ready by 2015.

Located 51 km from Manali, the tunnel will be constructed at the Rohtang pass, at an altitude of 13,000 feet, and will give all-year access to Ladakh and the Lahaul-Spiti valley in Himachal Pradesh. This will be a drastic improvement from the present situation as the Rohtang pass remains snowbound for more than six months. The tunnel will also reduce the road distance by approximately 48 km and will save travel time by about four hours.

While it will not be the longest or highest tunnel in the world, the Rohtang tunnel will be the world’s longest tunnel at such an altitude. The nearest would be the 5-km-long Anzob road tunnel in Tajikistan that is located at an altitude of 11,000 feet. Given its strategic value, the construction of the tunnel has been entrusted with the Border Roads Organisation, India’s premier road building agency that specialises in making roads at some of the highest locations of the world.

Though its strategic value was reiterated after the Kargil war, that was aimed at cutting off road access to the Ladakh and Siachen glacier for an intended offensive by Pakistani forces, the tunnel was first conceived in 1983 to develop the Manali-Sarchu-Leh road to an all-weather alternative route for strategic considerations.

The preliminary study was conducted in 1984 and the ambitious project was approved at a meeting of the Border Roads Development Board (BRDB) in January 1987 that was presided over by the then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. However, things slowed down considerably after that and the next step was taken by the NDA government when the then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee laid the foundation stone of the approach road to the tunnel in May 2002.

However, given the high stakes involved in the project, it took more than seven years to identify a consultant for the project to finally kickstart construction. While Sonia will preside over the function on June 28, in attendance will be Defence Minister A K Antony and Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Omar Abdullah given that the tunnel will open up trade and economic opportunities for people in some of the remotest regions of the two states.

Ventilation system

Given its location and altitude, the tunnel would have a Semi-Transverse Ventilation System, where large fans would circulate air in and out throughout the length of the tunnel. The tunnel will have a horseshoe-shaped cross-section and would be 11.25 m, providing room for two-way traffic. It is being designed to cater to vehicles not exceeding speed of 80 km/hr. The tunnel alone may not be enough to make the Manali-Keylong-Leh highway an all-weather road, as there are two major snowbound passes along the way — Baralacha La and Thaglang La. For this, a 292-km-long all-weather road, Nimu-Padam-Darcha, via Shinkunla Pass will be constructed at an additional cost of Rs 286 crore.

 

[CONNAN]

pictures of the tunnel construction

 

[sivadreams]

At last some good news from the valley. Hope we see more development projects and work being generated. This will bring J&K out into the economic growth.

 

[CONNAN]

hope our convoys will be protected from shelling with the construction of this tunnel

 

[blueoval79]

Much needed road link....finally GOI is focusing on Surface transport infrastructure as a strategic asset.

 

[sivadreams]

How important are these Surface Transport -


United States - Interstate Highway System

The Interstate Highway System was authorized by the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956[8] – popularly known as the National Interstate and Defense Highways Act of 1956 – on June 29. It had been lobbied for by major U.S. automobile manufacturers and championed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Army Convoy on the Lincoln Highway, the first road across America. Eisenhower also had gained an appreciation of the German Autobahn network as a necessary component of a national defense system while he was serving as Supreme Commander of the Allied forces in Europe during World War II.[9] In addition to facilitating private and commercial transportation, it would provide key ground transport routes for military supplies and troop deployments in case of an emergency or foreign invasion.

 

[Kinetic]

Well done. It was a tough job because of rough terrain and adverse weather conditions.

But I am 500% sure that they will name it after Rajiv Gandhi!