Rohtang, PTI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the strategically important all-weather Atal Tunnel at Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh. The tunnel reduces the distance between Manali and Leh by 46 km and the travel time by four to five hours,
Atal Tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in the world (above 10,000 feet). The 9.02 km long tunnel connects Manali to Lahaul-Spiti valley throughout the year, the PMO said, noting that the valley was earlier cut off for about six months every year due to heavy snowfall.
The tunnel is built with ultra-modern specifications in the Pir Panjal range of Himalayas at an altitude of 3000 metres (10,000 feet) from the Mean Sea Level (MSL).
The south portal (SP) of Atal Tunnel is located at a distance of 25 km from Manali at an altitude of 3,060 metres, while the north portal (NP) of the tunnel is located near village Teling, Sissu, in Lahaul Valley at an altitude of 3,071 metres.
It is a horse shoe shaped, single-tube double lane tunnel with a roadway of 8 metres and has an overhead clearance of 5.525 metres, the PMO said.
Atal Tunnel has been designed for traffic density of 3000 cars per day and 1,500 trucks per day with max speed of 80 kmph.
The Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had taken the decision to construct the strategic tunnel below the Rohtang Pass on June 3, 2000, and the foundation stone for the access road to the south portal of the tunnel was laid on May 26, 2002.