The world's longest high altitude tunnel, Atal Rohtang tunnel will finally be inaugurated on October 3, 2020 after having been completed over a period of 10 years. The tunnel will provide all-weather connectivity to the Lahaul valley of Himachal Pradesh, which is otherwise cut-off from the rest of the country during the harsh winter season owing to heavy snowfall atop the dreaded Rohtang pass. The tunnel has CCTV cameras installed at every 60 meters & emergency exit tunnels have been provided for at every 500 meters.
Tunnel has CCTV cameras at every 60 meters & emergency exit tunnels at every 500 meters.
The total length of the tunnel is almost 9 kms. It will shorten the road distance to the Lahaul valley and beyond by 46 km and the travel time too will be reduced by a good 4 hours. The tunnel will also help cut the travel time drastically between Manali and Leh, and it will be easier to compelete the entire journey in a single day. It also aims to provide better connectivity to the armed forces in reaching the border areas in Ladakh.
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The tunnel will reduce total road distance by 46 km and the travel time by 4 hours.
The original time frame to finish the construction when work first began in 2010 was 6 years. The biggest hindrance in construction of this tunnel were high altitudes, unfavorable weather conditions and patches like the Seri Nallah, which made the engineers job even more difficult.
