Atal Tunnel (Rohtang Tunnel) is located 24 km north of Manali, Himachal Pradesh. The 9.02 km long National Highway tunnel built near the erstwhile Rohtang Pass is the highest highway single-tube tunnel at 10,171 ft elevation. The tunnel was inaugurated in the year 2020.
The tunnel reduces the travel time between Manali and Keylong on the way to Leh by 3 hours and distance by ~50 kms.
The challenges for the construction included difficulties in disposing more than 8,00,000 m³ of excavated rock and soil, heavy ingress of water peaking to 3 million litres per day in 2012, and unstable rocks that slowed blasting and digging at times. Tunnel boring machines were not used for this tunnel.
It’s a marvel of engineering and human ingenuity!
Location: https://maps.app.goo.gl/BWCuTBApNzqEvZR77
#drive #nature #heritage
