PM Modi Inaugurates India's Longest Road Tunnel — Here's Everything You Need To Know

The new Chenani-Nashri tunnel is the longest road tunnel in India at 9-kilometres long. The new tunnel is also Asia's longest bi-directional tunnel.

Constructed at a cost of about Rs 3,720 crore, the tunnel structure consists of a two-lane main tunnel with a parallel escape tunnel of the same length (9-kilometers).

The main tunnel and the escape tunnel are connected by 29 cross-passages at regular intervals along the entire length of the tunnel which can be used to evacuate vehicles and commuters in case of an emergency.

The tunnel is connected to the highway by bridges on either side which host the toll booths. Just ahead of the toll points, sensors have been installed to ensure that vehicles over the height limit of 5-meters do not enter the new tunnel.

Built at an elevation of 1,200 metres (3,937 feet) the Chenani-Nashri tunnel cuts traveling time between the summer (Srinagar) and winter (Jammu) capitals of Jammu and Kashmir by two hours. The shortens the distance traveled between the two cities across the treacherous Himalayan terrain by 40-kilometers.

The government claims that the time saved on the Jammu-Srinagar route will further result in fuel savings of approximately Rs 27 lakh per day.

While it may be the longest tunnel in India, the Chenani-Nashri tunnel is less than half the length of the Lærdal Tunnel in Norway (pictured above), which at 24.51-kilometres long is the longest tunnel in the world.

Image Via: Smtunli/ Wikimedia Commons