The construction of a 14.2-kilometre long tunnel in India is currently in the works. The Zoji La Tunnel, which is set to be the longest in Asia, will pass under the Zoji La pass in the Himalayas, the world’s highest mountain range. The aim of the tunnel is to provide year-round connectivity between two major regions in India, Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh. The Zoji La pass, which sits on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh highway, sits at an altitude of 3,528 metres and currently connects the two areas.
However, because of the heavy snow fall and snow avalanches, the vital link remains closed for six to seven months of the year, between November to May. Not only will the new tunnel open up a new means to travel between the cities throughout the entire year, but it will also reduce the time it currently takes to cross the path.
The project was approved in 2018, with an expected construction period of between five and seven years. However, the completion date has changed a number of times. Shortly after construction began, in 2021, the Union Minister Nitin Gadkari set the deadline for the tunnel to be completed by December 2023, nearly three years ahead of the orginal deadline of September 2026.
However, as work progressed, the estimated completion date went back to 2026, before it was reported in January that it had now been pushed back to 2028.
The $1.04 billion (approx. £896 million) smart tunnel will boast a fully transverse ventilation system, an uninterrupted power supply, emergency lighting, CCTV monitoring, variable message signs, traffic logging equipment, and a tunnel radio system.
It will also feature several safety measures including emergency telephones and fire-fighting cabinets every 125 metres, pedestrian cross-passages every 250 metres and motorable cross-passages and lay-bys every 750 metres.
The tunnel will dramatically reduce the travel time between the two regions. It currently takes four hours to travel from Sonamarg, a hill station in Jammu & Kashmir to Meenamarg, one of Ladakh’s entry points. However, once the Zoji La Tunnel is completed, that time will be cut right down to 40 minutes.
With a significant amount of the work completed, the smart mountain also has seventy glassless windows for those passing through to take in the landscapes.
Burhan Andrabi, an engineer with the tunnel construction firm, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd said: “It will allow travellers, during off-peak hours, to step out and have a breaktaking view of Sonamarg valley, Baltal, and Zoji La peaks.