India

Atal Tunnel: World’s Longest Highway Tunnel Inaugurated

Nidhi Arora October 4, 2020

Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated Atal Tunnel (named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee; erstwhile known as Rohtang tunnel) in Rohtang, Himachal Pradesh. The decision to build this tunnel was taken in the year 2000 during the tenure of the then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. The Atal tunnel is the world’s longest highway tunnel (9.02 km), built at an altitude of 3000 meters (10,000 feet). It is built in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas.

This tunnel will ensure connectivity for the residents of Lahaul and Spiti to Manali all through the year which used to remain cut off from the rest of India, during winters due to heavy snowfall. The travelling distance between Leh and Manali will be reduced by around 46 km and the time would be reduced by approx. 4 hours.

Atal tunnel also has a great strategic importance as this would ensure smooth movement of our armed forces and year-round supplies availability to those stationed at borders.

Key features of Atal Tunnel:

  • It is shaped like a horseshoe and is double-laned in a single tube.
  • The width of the tunnel is 10.5 meters and the overhead clearance is 5,525 meters.
  • A fire-proof emergency tunnel (3.6 meters by 2.25 meters) has been also built within the main tunnel. Also, there would be an emergency exit every 500 meters.
  • It can manage the ongoing traffic of 3000 cars and 1500 trucks per day with a maximum speed
  • of 80 km per hour.
  • It has been equipped with state-of-the-art electromechanical system consisting of SCADA
  • (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition)-controlled illumination, monitoring, fire-fighting
  • system, and semi-transverse ventilation system.
  • To ensure safety, an auto incident detection system has been installed inside the tunnel along
  • with CCTV cameras fitted every 250 meters.
  • Entry barriers have been put in place on South and North portals of the tunnel.
  • It would have telephone facility every 150 meters and fire hydrants every 60 meters.
  • Systems to check pollution and inject fresh air inside have been installed.