Rohtang’s Atal Tunnel is an engineering masterpiece whose specialty will leave you stunned

This single-lane double tube tunnel not only connects 8 mountain roads but also has an overhead clearance of 5.525 mountains…

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India’s beautification is rather mesmerizing to see and it is indeed a proud thing to say that PM Narendra Modi has fulfilled his promise. Despite lots of difficulties, he never let the work for Atal tunnel stop or get affected, and the result is an engineering masterpiece made with efforts spanning for 10 years now. Well, this most awaited infrastructure project is ready in the Himalayas and it was inaugurated by PM Modi on 3rd October, in Rohtang. 


This tunnel has been named after former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and it is world’s longest highway tunnel. Not just this, the Atal tunnel is also a major reason behind the increasing tension between India and China. China never wanted this tunnel to be made, however, here it is standing tall amidst the mountains. This tunnel is said to be a big relief for all those people who frequently travel between Manali and Ladakh. Due to bad climate, the roadways were closed down for 6 months because of which the locals faced lots of problems. But now with this tunnel being made, the people can travel throughout the year and another plus is that they will have to travel a shorter distance now, yes, the tunnel has reduced the travel distance make commuting easier for many. 


Here’s all that you need to know about this tunnel: 


- This world’s longest tunnel has been made at an height of 10000 feet. 


- Stretching up to 9.2 kilometers, it took 10 years for this tunnel to be made and the money invested in this project is a whopping 30000 crores. 


- 14508 metric steel, 2,37,596 metric cement has been used in this project. 


- This tunnel was built by making way through 14 lakh cubic meter of mountains, and the tunnel also provides 4G coverage at every 150 meters. 


- Atal Tunnel’s south pole is situated 25 lms away from Manali at a height of 3060 meters. While the north pole is at a height of 3071 mounts close to the Lahaul Spiti valley. 


- It is a single tube double lane tunnel connecting roads from 8 mountains, and has a overhead clearance of 5.525 mounts. 


- It is 10.5 meters broad and has a 3.6 X 2.25 mounts fire proof emergency sub tunnel which is made inside the main tunnel only. 


- The tunnel has been designed to handle transportation of 3000 cars and 1500 trucks, driving at a speed of 80 kmph. 


- This tunnel reduces the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kms, which will make a difference of 4 to 5 hours in the travelling time. 


- For safety purposes, the tunnel consist of fog as well as neon lights, telephone connections have been stationed at both the poles at every 150 meters and a fire hydrant system has been placed at every 60 meters. CCTV camera’s have been placed at every 250 meters which will allow to keep track of all the activities inside the tunnel.  


- This tunnel is also important in the strategic sense, as it makes areas around LAC accessible. The decision to make this tunnel was taken during the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2000 and its cornerstone was kept in May 2002. 


- Initially the tunnel was named as the Rohtang tunnel, but in Decemebr 2019, PM Modi changed the name to Atal tunnel in the memory of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. 


Written by Nawaz Kochra

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