Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched the Atal Tunnel in Himachal Pradesh.
“Experts say that the pace at which Atal Tunnel was being constructed during UPA regime were to continue, it would be completed by 2040! Our govt increased the pace of construction from 300 meters/year to 1400 meters/year and completed the project in 2020,” PM said.
Yesterday in a tweet, PM had said, The Atal Tunnel will solve a major problem of connectivity in the region. It has several salient features and will further ‘Ease of Living’ for local citizens. Will also join public programmes in Sissu in Lahaul Spiti and at Solang Valley.”
It is the longest highway tunnel in the world built at an altitude of 3000 meters. The 9.02 Km long tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley.
The tunnel is built to ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas.
“It is a horse shoe-shaped, single-tube, double lane tunnel with a roadway of eight metres and has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The south portal of the tunnel is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali and at an altitude of 3,060 metres. The north portal (NP) is located near the Teling village in the Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3,071 metres.