The Zojila Tunnel, the world’s longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at the highest altitude, will see its final breakthrough on Tuesday, according to officials.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will attend the breakthrough event at Zojila.
The final breakthrough of the 13.153-km Zojila Tunnel will be a historic milestone in India’s infrastructure history, Megha Engineering and Infrastructure Ltd (MEIL), the executing agency for the project said.
Located in the Zojila region between Baltal (Sonamarg) and Meenamarg (Drass and Kargil) in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, the project is being executed to provide all-weather connectivity across one of India’s most-challenging Himalayan corridors, which remains cut off for long periods every year due to heavy snowfall, avalanches and extreme weather conditions.
Officials said the tunnel, which is positioned at an elevation of 11,578 ft above sea level, “represents one of the most significant engineering achievements in India’s mountain infrastructure sector.”
“The achievement of the final breakthrough marks the defining construction milestone of the excavation phase and reflects the successful completion of the most critical stage of underground works in highly demanding terrain,” the MEIL said.
According to officials, once fully operational, the project will ensure 365-day connectivity between Srinagar and Ladakh, improving access to Drass, Kargil, Leh and surrounding regions while significantly strengthening mobility, logistics reliability and strategic access in a sensitive border zone.
The developer said on Monday that the Zojila Tunnel Project “carries immense socio-economic and strategic importance.”
“It is expected to transform regional connectivity, improve the movement of people and goods, reduce weather-related isolation and support economic activity, tourism and essential services across the region,” the developer said.
The Zojila Tunnel is expected to significantly improve both civilian and military mobility in the region.
“At the national level, the tunnel also strengthens operational mobility and logistics preparedness in a strategically important frontier corridor, underlining its role not only as an infrastructure project but also as a national connectivity and security asset,” the MEIL said on Monday.
With excavation now completed, the project moves closer to delivering its long-envisioned objective of seamless all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh, bringing long-term benefits in mobility, economic integration and strategic resilience.
A dedicated team of over 1,200 personnel is working on this project, comprising 80 per cent local residents and 20 per cent specialists from other parts of the country. The project began on October 1, 2020, and the overall safety achievement is 10 million safe man hours, according to the developer.
