PM Inaugurates India's Longest Road Tunnel In Jammu, Here Are 10 Facts About Chenani-Nashri Tunnel

Prime Minister Narendra Modi today inaugurated a new 10.9 km road tunnel which will shorten the driving time between Jammu and Srinagar by two hours. Here are 10 interesting features of this new tunnel:

1. The two-lane Chenani-Nashri tunnel will be Asia's longest, which will cut the distance between Jammu and Srinagar to around 250km from the current 350km.

2. The tunnel, which took seven years to build, will act as an all-weather alternative to the existing Jammu-Srinagar highway. It will link Chenani in Udhampur district with Nashri in Ramban district.

3. Thanks to the tunnel, the distance between Chenani and Nashri will be reduced to 9.2km from 41km. It will also bypass 44 avalanche and landslide-prone spots on the highway.

4. Because it is an all-weather tunnel, it will enable an increase in trade and therefore boost revenue in the state. It will help boost tourism too.

5. As many as 1,500 engineers, geologists, skilled workers and labourers constructed this tunnel.

6. The National Highways Authority of India spent Rs 3,720 crore on the project.

7. The tunnel comprises two tubes - the 'main tunnel' and the 'escape tunnel'. The two are internally connected through 29 cross-passages; each is located 300 metres apart.

8. There are 124 closed-circuit TV cameras for surveillance inside the tunnel. In case of a traffic violation, the control room will inform the traffic police deployed outside the tunnel, who will fine the violators on the spot.