{"id":21522,"date":"2026-06-04T00:16:02","date_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/?p=21522"},"modified":"2026-06-04T00:16:02","modified_gmt":"2026-06-04T00:16:02","slug":"zojila-tunnel-breakthrough-on-june-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/2026\/06\/04\/zojila-tunnel-breakthrough-on-june-9\/","title":{"rendered":"Zojila Tunnel breakthrough on June-9"},"content":{"rendered":"

13.15-km tunnel to link J&K, Ladakh; Union Minister Gadkari to trigger blast<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Ganderbal, Jun 03:\u00a0<\/strong>The strategically significant 13.15-kilometre Zojila Tunnel, linking Jammu and Kashmir with Ladakh, is set to reach a major milestone on June 9 as Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to trigger the breakthrough blast.<\/p>\n

Once completed, the tunnel will become the world’s longest single-tube bi-directional road tunnel at an altitude of nearly 11,500 feet, ensuring seamless all-weather connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and Kargil, and significantly enhancing connectivity, mobility and economic activity in the strategically vital region.<\/p>\n

The 13.15-km tunnel, being developed beneath the Zojila Pass at an altitude of around 11,500 feet, is expected to provide year-round road connectivity between the Kashmir Valley and the Ladakh region, reducing dependence on the weather-sensitive mountain pass.<\/p>\n

Harpal Singh, joint chief operating officer of Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited said that excavation has entered its final phase, with only a few metres of digging left before the two ends of the tunnel meet.<\/p>\n

He said work on the main tunnel was undertaken simultaneously from the Baltal side in Kashmir and the Minamarg side in Ladakh to accelerate construction.<\/p>\n

The project, awarded in 2020 and taken up for execution in 2021, has witnessed construction under challenging Himalayan conditions, including weak rock formations, water seepage and difficult terrain. More than a thousand engineers, technicians and workers are currently involved in the project.<\/p>\n

Constructed at an estimated cost of about Rs 2,600 crore, the tunnel is designed as a single-tube, two-lane structure with a horseshoe-shaped profile. It is being built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), which is considered suitable for complex mountain geology.<\/p>\n

Following the breakthrough, focus will shift to internal works, including concrete lining, installation of ventilation systems and other safety infrastructure.<\/p>\n

The tunnel will also feature a dedicated walkway for maintenance and emergency operations. Once completed, it is expected to significantly improve connectivity, mobility and economic activity in the region throughout the year\u2014(KNO)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

13.15-km tunnel to link J&K, Ladakh; Union Minister Gadkari to trigger blast Ganderbal, Jun 03:\u00a0The strategically significant 13.15-kilometre Zojila Tunnel, linking Jammu and Kashmir with Ladakh, is set to reach a major milestone on June 9 as Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to trigger the breakthrough blast. Once completed, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":21523,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-latest-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21522"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21522\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21524,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21522\/revisions\/21524"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kashmirthunder.in\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}