A world record has been registered in the name of the world’s highest and longest highway tunnel ‘Atal Tunnel’. The World Book of Records has officially recognized the Atal Tunnel as the ‘Longest Highway Tunnel at an altitude of more than 10,000 feet’. The recognition was given during a historic ceremony held on February 9, 2022 in Delhi. Director General of Border Roads Organization (DGBR) Lt Gen Rajeev Choudhary received the award for the excellent engineering construction of this link connecting Manali with Lahaul-Spiti valley.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated this Atal Tunnel to the nation on October 03, 2020. This 9.02 km long tunnel connects Manali with Lahaul Spiti. Due to this tunnel, now all-weather traffic is possible here. Earlier this valley was isolated for about 6 months due to heavy snowfall. Before the construction of this tunnel, this highway used to be closed for six months during the winter season separating Lahaul and Spiti from the mainland.
The strategically important Atal Tunnel passes through ‘Rohtang Pass’. It was constructed under challenging conditions of freezing temperatures in extremely rough terrain on the Manali-Leh highway. This tunnel has been built with state-of-the-art instructions at an altitude of 10,000 feet above sea level in the Pir Panjal range of the Himalayas. This tunnel reduces the road distance between Manali and Leh by 46 kms and also saves about 4 to 5 hours in travel time between the two places.
The south portal of the Atal Tunnel is located at an altitude of 3060 m, 25 km from Manali, while its north portal is located at an altitude of 3071 m near Teling Sissugaon in the Lahaul Valley. It is a single tube and double lane tunnel with 8 m roadway in horseshoe shape. It has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres. It is 10.5 m wide and also has a 3.6 x 2.25 m fire proof emergency exit tunnel, which is built into the main tunnel itself.
This tunnel has been constructed in the Pir Panjal ranges of the Himalayas in extremely harsh and challenging terrain. The temperature here goes down to minus 25 °C in winter and often the temperature inside the tunnel rises up to 45 °C. While making it, problems like delicate geology and leakage of Seri Nala came to the fore. Along with this there were some major construction difficulties in the form of high loads and excessive snowfall, but the BRO staff successfully overcame these challenges.
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