Speeding Up - Progress on key tunnel Projects

The central government has focused on accelerating tunnel construction throughout the country, especially in the northeast region. It has taken on the construction of ongoing projects and is also giving new life to tunnel projects that have been languishing for years. More recently, the government commissioned the 9 km Atal tunnel in Himachal Pradesh.

Indian Infrastructure provides an update on the major ongoing and future tunnel projects ...

Zojila Tunnel

The Zojila tunnel project involves the construction of a 14.15 km tunnel at an altitude of approximately 3,000 meters below the Zojila pass on the NH-1, connecting Srinagar and Leh via Drass and Kargil. In October 2020, the central government launched the first explosion for the project's construction works. The project was awarded again this year to Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited, which had emerged as the lowest bidder and listed Rs 45.09 billion for the project. The tunnel provides all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Leh (Ladakh Plateau) on NH-1, ensuring the overall economic and socio-cultural integration of Jammu and Kashmir. It is expected to be completed in six years.

In May 2018, the national government laid the first stone of the project. However, in January 2019, National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHIDCL) terminated the contract awarded to the IL&FS Group after it abandoned the project due to financial difficulties. Subsequently, in February 2020, the government reviewed the project with the aim of reducing costs and prioritizing implementation. The government then proposed a change in the tunnel design, proposing to build a two-lane, two-lane tunnel with a tube without a parallel flight passage and reduce the number of shafts from three to two.

The construction cost of the Zojila tunnel was initially estimated at Rs 83.08 billion (Rs 106.43 billion, including accesses to the Z-Morh tunnel). After the project redevelopment, the total cost of capital will be Rs 68.08 billion, resulting in an expected savings of Rs 38.35 billion on the entire project.

Z-Morh Tunnel

Meanwhile, work is underway on the 6.5 km Z-Morh tunnel, which is part of a strategic project to ensure year-round connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region, and will be completed. The Rs 23.79 billion Z-Morh tunnel project includes a 6.5 km tunnel, a 6 km access road, two main bridges and a small bridge. In December 2019, NHIDCL reassigned the project to APCO Amarnathji Tunnelway Private Limited, a subsidiary of APCO Infratech Private Limited.

The project had previously been assigned to the IL&FS Group. However, the contractor left him in 2018 due to financial problems. The project is executed on a design-build-financing-operation-transfer basis with a concession period of 20 years.

Other major future tunnel projects

In addition to these tunnel projects under construction, the central government has initiated many other important tunnel projects. Recently, bids have been submitted for the construction of an 8 km unidirectional tunnel and 12.85 km access road on the Sudhmahadev-Daranga section of the NH-244 in Jammu and Kashmir. The project is being implemented in two packages based on engineering, procurement and construction, at an estimated construction cost of Rs 31.37 billion. The deadline for submitting bids for both packages is February 11, 2021. Bids were also submitted for the construction of the 1.57 km Khellani tunnel and the 2.4 km access road on the NH-244. Offers are currently being evaluated. The project is expected to entail construction costs of Rs 5.4 billion. In addition, the Department of Highway and Highway Transportation (MoRTH) launched a tender for the 2.8km Sunghal tunnel project in the state, including the construction of access roads to the Echnoor-Poonch highway in the state. Offers are currently being evaluated for the Rs 6.3 billion project.

Meanwhile, the projects for the Shinkun La, Tanglang La and Lachalung La tunnels in Ladakh and the 10.2 km Vailoo tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir have been announced. MoRTH also recently approved in principle the construction of a 2.74 km tunnel in Mussoorie at a cost of Rs 4.5 billion. However, the Rs 40 billion Mughal Road tunnel project in Jammu and Kashmir is stuck in the DPR phase. The ambitious project has not made any significant progress for a decade, despite repeated guarantees from the government.