Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate to the nation Asia’s longest bi-directional road tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway on April 2, which will cut down travel time between the two by two hours.
The Rs 2,519-crore all-weather tunnel is equipped with world-class safety features and has been built in a record four years on the hilly terrain of Jammu and Kashmir, Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari said.
“This state-of-the-art 10.89-km tunnel between Udhampur and Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir, an engineering marvel on the most difficult terrain of the Himalayas, was built in a record four years,” the minister said.
Gadkari was accompanied by Minister of State in PMO Jitendra Singh, a parliamentarian from Jammu.
“The project will result in a saving of Rs 27 lakh per day based on traffic estimates and would cut the travel distance between Jammu and Sringar by 41 km,” Gadkari said.
All you need to know about tunnel.
What all facilities will be available?
The tunnel will have a fully-integrated control system providing facilities like radio frequency, communication, ventilation, power supply, SOS call box, fire fighting and incident detection.
How much money is spent on construction of the tunnel?
An estimated Rs 2,519 crore has been spent on the tunnel, which will connect Udhampur and Ramban in Jammu and Kashmir. The construction was scheduled to be completed by May 20, 2016 but got delayed by nine months due to various reasons.
What will be the toll?
For LMVs, the toll will be Rs 55 for one side and Rs 85 for a two-way journey. The commuter can also pay Rs 1,870 for one-month travel pass. For mini buses, the respective cost will be Rs 90 and Rs 135 and similarly for the bigger vehicles like buses and trucks, it will be Rs 190 and Rs 285.
