Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel
Overview | |
---|---|
Location | Jammu and Kashmir, India |
Status | Active |
Route | NH 44 |
Start | Qazigund |
End | Banihal |
Operation | |
Work begun | 2011 |
Opened | 4 August 2021 |
Owner | National Highways Authority of India |
Operator | National Highways Authority of India |
Traffic | Automotive |
Toll | Qazigund Toll Plaza |
Technical | |
Length | 8.45 km (27,700 ft) |
No. of lanes | 2 Lanes per Tube (4 Lanes total in Twin-Tube with Dual carriageway) |
Operating speed | 70 km/h (43 mph) |
Highest elevation | 1,790 m (5,870 ft) |
Width | 7 metres (23 ft) |
Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel is a
The tunnel consists of two parallel tunnels, one for each direction of travel. Each tunnel is 7 m (23 ft) wide, and each has two lanes of road. The two tunnels are interconnected by a passage every 500 m (1,600 ft) for maintenance and emergency evacuation. The tunnel has forced ventilation to extract smoke and stale air and infuse fresh air. It has state-of-the-art monitoring and control systems for security. Built at a cost of ₹2,100 crore, citizens pay a toll to use the tunnel.[3]
Construction
Construction of the tunnel started in 2011 along with the project to widen
- As of May 2016, 7.2 km of the 8.5 km had been excavated.[4]
- As of February 2017, the tunnel excavation was close to completion.[5]
- February 2018: Boring work of one tunnel had been completed.[6]
- May 2018: Boring of the entire 8.5 km tunnel was completed on 20 May 2018.[7]
- Jan 2019:Tunnel may open for traffic by March 2020.[8]
- November 2019: Work progressing at slow pace; tunnel to be opened for traffic in March 2021.[9]
- 25 February 2021:Tunnel likely to open for traffic in April 2021[10]
- 5 April 2021: opening delayed until end of April 2021.[11]
- July 2021: Tunnel could be inaugurated on the independence day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.[12]
- August 2021: Tunnel was opened by the Road Transport and Highways Minister, Nitin Gadkari.[13]
Location
The Southern portal (end) of the tunnel is at 33°29′22″N 75°10′22″E / 33.4895°N 75.1729°E and the Northern portal (end) of the tunnel is at 33°33′53″N 75°11′12″E / 33.5646°N 75.1867°E.
Safety measures
The tunnel is made on
See also
- Jawahar Tunnel
- Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel
- Chattergala Tunnel
- Zoji-la Tunnel
- Z-Morh Tunnel
- Pir Panjal Railway Tunnel
- renumberingof all national highways)
References
- ^ "All-weather tunnel linking Jammu and Srinagar to open soon. All you must know". Retrieved 10 June 2021.
- ^ "J-K: 8.5 Km Qazigund-Banihal tunnel in final stage of construction, to open soon". ANI News. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ "Tunnels of Hope in Valley, Governance Now". Retrieved 19 February 2017.
- ^ "Tunnel openings". Retrieved 4 March 2017.
- ^ "Tube 1 of Banihal-Qazigund four-lane tunnel completed | Greater Kashmir".
- ^ "Banihal-Qazigund road tunnel opening likely next year: NHAI - Kashmir Times". www.kashmirtimes.in.
- ^ "CONCERN: 8 years on, work on Qazigund-Banihal tunnel far from over | Greater Kashmir".
- ^ Excelsior, Daily (24 November 2019). "Qazigund-Banihal tunnel to miss 5th deadline".
- ^ "'Qazigund-Banihal tunnel being thrown open in March'".
- ^ "Opening of Qazigund-Banihal tunnel delayed from March end to April end". Kashmir Reader. Archived from the original on 22 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
- ^ "8.5 km all-weather Qazigund-Banihal hi-tech tunnel likely to be operational in coming weeks".
- ^ "Auto News India, Car and Bikes News, Launch, Price, Features, Reviews". Hindustan Times Auto News. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
- ^ "8.5 km all-weather Qazi Gund-Banihal tunnel to open for public in days".