India’s Zojila project: Construction begins on Asia’s largest bi-directional road tunnel

By Tom Wadlow
Share
Building work has begun on a 14km road tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir province, India, the largest bi-directional tunnel in Asia and a project costing almo...

Building work has begun on a 14km road tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir province, India, the largest bi-directional tunnel in Asia and a project costing almost $1bn.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi marked the beginning of the construction by visiting the Zojila Tunnel site, which will provide vital all-weather connectivity between the mountainous cities of Srinagar, Kargil and Leh.

The pass, located at 11,500ft altitude, will cut journey times through Zojila from 3.5 hours to 15 minutes, and is expected to be completed within around five years.

See also:

Modi said: “It (tunnel) will lead to all-round economic and socio-cultural integration of these regions. It also has immense strategic importance.”

The Zojila Tunnel has also been dubbed a smart tunnel, to be equipped with safety features such as variable message signs, traffic logging and vehicle height detectors.

There will be pedestrian crossings at every 250m with laybys at every 750m and fire safety equipment and emergency phones at every 125m.

Alongside the tunnel project, around 100km of new roads will be built in the region. These include a 42km, four-lane stretch linking Galandar in West Srinagar to Sumbal, and a 58km, four-lane passage joining Jagati in western Jammu to Raya Morh.

This is not the only recent infrastructure project inaugurated by Modi this month. The fast-tracking of the 330MW Kishanganga hydropower station was confirmed last week – the project had stalled since work began on it back in 2009.

Below is a video published by Prime Minister Modi outlining the scope and impact of the Zojila Tunnel project.

Share

Featured Articles

Data Centres 'Should be Part of Residential Developments'

Construction sector is urged to adapt to rising demand for data centres by integration data centres in residential and commercial property developments

Iconic Building Project: Bilbao Island Smart City District

Iberdrola & Bilbao City Council are transforming an old industrial area into a net zero emissions smart city testing ground for renewable energy solutions

How AI is Shaping Architecture, Construction & Engineering

Neil Davidson, Group VP of Deltek -- an architecture, construction and engineering specialist -- on the impact on AI and how the industry can be smarter

Aggreko: Power Supply Issues Hitting Offshore Wind Builds

Sustainability & Green Building

Electric Construction Machinery Growth 'is Significant'

Sustainability & Green Building

NEC and Consult Australia Forge Contract Partnership

Construction Projects