PM to dedicate India’s longest highways tunnel on Apr 2

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : PM Narendra Modi will dedicate India’s longest highways tunnel – the Chenani- Nashri tunnel in Jammu & Kashmir- to the nation on April 2, 2017.

An ideal example of the government’s ‘Make in India’  and ‘Skill India’ initiative, the 9 km long, twin-tube, all-weather tunnel between Udhampur and Ramban in Jammu & Kashmir is not only India’s longest highways tunnel but also  Asia’s longest bi-directional highways tunnel. Built at an elevation of 1,200 metres on one of the  most difficult Himalayan terrains, the tunnel will cut the travel time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours,  bypassing about 41 km of road length, according to a PIB release. It will also ensure an all weather passage on a route that often sees heavy traffic jams and disruptions due to landslides, snow, sharp curves, breakdown of vehicles and accidents.

The tunnel was constructed at a cost of about Rs 3,720 crore. It is a part of the 286-km-long four-laning of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway. The structure consists of a 9 km long, two-laned main tunnel with a parallel escape tunnel of same length. The two tunnels are connected by 29 cross passages at regular intervals along the entire length of the tunnel. These cross passages can be used for evacuation of vehicles and commuters in case of breakdown or any other emergency. There are two minor bridges on the south and north sides and 4-lane approach roads with Toll Plazas on both ends of the tunnel. The maximum height permitted in the tunnel is 5 metre and for checking the height special sensors have been installed just before the toll points at both ends, said the PIB release.

The tunnel has an efficient, transverse ventilation system. There are inlets bringing fresh air at 8 metre intervals and outlet for exhaust every 100 metre.  There is also  a fully-integrated control system with ventilation, communication, power supply, incident detection, SOS call box and fire fighting. Fitted with intelligent traffic mechanism, the tunnel has fully automatic smart control and no human intervention will be required for its operations. The time saving on the Jammu- Srinagar route will result in fuel saving of approximately Rs 27 lakh per day. Besides, the  construction of the tunnel has avoided large –scale deforestation.