Zojila Tunnel

The Zojila Tunnel recently achieved its final breakthrough after the blasting of the last five metres. This marks a major milestone in one of India’s most challenging infrastructure projects in the Himalayan region.

About Zojila Tunnel

• The Zojila Tunnel is a major under-construction road tunnel that will connect Sonamarg in Jammu & Kashmir with Drass in Ladakh. It is being built beneath the Zoji La Pass on the Srinagar–Leh Highway (NH-1).
• Once completed, the tunnel will connect Ganderbal district of Jammu & Kashmir with Kargil district of Ladakh, ensuring all-weather connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh.
• The tunnel is being constructed in difficult Himalayan terrain at an altitude of around 11,578 feet. It will be a 13-km-long, horseshoe-shaped, single-tube, bi-directional road tunnel, with a width of about 9.5 metres and a height of 7.57 metres.
• It is considered the world’s longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at such a high altitude. After completion, it will reduce travel time across the Zojila stretch from nearly 90 minutes to around 15 minutes.
• The tunnel is being built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), which is suitable for fragile Himalayan geology and changing rock conditions.

Significance

The Zojila Tunnel will provide strategic and economic benefits by improving year-round connectivity to Ladakh, strengthening defence logistics, promoting tourism and reducing travel difficulties in the snow-bound Himalayan region.