Chenani Nashri Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in India. It is situated on National Highway 44 in Jammu and Kashmir at an altitude of 1,200 m (3,937 ft).
The construction of the tunnel started in 2011 and was completed in 2017. The tunnel has a length of 9.028 km.
The Longest road tunnel in India is also known as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel.
Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee was the founder of Bharatiya Jana Sangh. He served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru’s cabinet.
On 2 April 2017 India’s Longest tunnel was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The overall budget of the Chenani Nashri Tunnel was ₹3,720 crore
The construction of the tunnel involved nearly 1,500 engineers, geologists, and skilled workers besides laborers.
Chenani Nashri Tunnel is also Asia’s longest bi-directional highway tunnel.
The Tunnel reduces the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30 km and travel time by two hours. It is India’s first tunnel with a fully integrated tunnel control system.
The all-weather tunnel bypasses places like Kud, Patnitop, and Batote which are snowfall and avalanche-prone areas in winter.
These areas used to obstruct NH 44 and used to be the cause of long queues of vehicles for days together.
Atal Tunnel also known as Rohtang Tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the World above 10,000 feet (3,048 m) with a length of 9.02 Km
It has officially been certified by the World Book of Records, as the ‘World’s Longest Highway Tunnel above 10,000 Feet’ during a landmark ceremony on 09 February 2022, in New Delhi
It is built under the Rohtang Pass in the eastern Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas on the Leh-Manali Highway in Himachal Pradesh.
Some More Interesting Facts about the Chenani Nashri Tunnel
- The tunnel has two tubes that run parallel to each other. The main traffic tunnel has a diameter of 13 m and a separate safety or escape tunnel has a diameter of 6 m alongside.
- The two tubes are connected by 29 cross passages at a regular intervals of every 300 meters along the entire length of the tunnel.
- The Chenani Nashri tunnel is India’s first road tunnel with a transverse ventilation system and the world’s sixth tunnel.
- A total of 124 cameras and a linear heat detection system are installed inside the tunnel. These will alert the Integrated Tunnel Control Room (ITCR) located outside the tunnel in case of any emergency or issue.
- The speed limit at the tunnel is restricted to 50kmph and it takes roughly 12 to 15 minutes to drive through the tunnel.
- The tunnel will reportedly lead to the saving of ₹27 lakh every day due to reduced fuel consumption.
- There will be no loss of mobile phone signal issues as BSNL, Airtel and Idea have set up facilities inside the tunnel.
- SOS boxes have also been installed every 150 m for passengers. The boxes will also have a basic first-aid kit and essential medicines.
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