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How to dig through ice, snow and boulders! The construction challenges of the Attar Tunnel are shocking?
The Atal Tunnel, 9.02 km long, is a road tunnel connecting Manali and Kailon. This tunnel helps bypass the famous Rohta Pass in the Pir Panjal range in the eastern Himalayas. As the world's longest single-tube road tunnel at over 10,000 feet above sea level, the Attar Tunnel cuts travel time from 5 to 6 hours to just about 2 hours, providing a breakthrough in transportation between Chal and Lech. Sexual improvement.
The new tunnel shortens the journey by nearly 50 kilometres and can be opened all year round, a feat unmatched by the previous route.
History
As early as 1860, the Moravian Mission raised the possibility of digging a tunnel through the Rota Pass to reach Lajol. However, the actual proposal for tunnel construction was made in 1942 by Dr. John Bicknell Oden of the Geological Survey of India. Over time, the vision came to fruition in 2000 when the then Prime Minister of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee announced the project to build the tunnel.
Construction Challenges
The Yatar Tunnel faced numerous challenges during its construction, especially during the severe winter with heavy snow and boulders. The construction team had to constantly cope with challenges from the natural environment, such as in winter, when excavation work at the south entrance was almost the only viable option.
There are 46 avalanche-prone areas throughout the tunnel, which further increases the risk of construction.
Technology and Design
The Yattar Tunnel is designed to ensure all-season road connectivity to Laheer and Leh. The cross-section of the entire tunnel is horseshoe-shaped. In its design, the width of the tunnel reaches 10 meters and an 800 mm pedestrian walkway is set up.
The geological conditions involved in the construction forced the construction team to use traditional blasting and excavation techniques rather than a tunnel boring machine.
Safety Measures
In terms of safety measures, the tunnel uses the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) and is equipped with a semi-transverse ventilation system. This means that in the event of a fire or other emergency, evacuation can be carried out quickly.
The deployment of CCTV cameras inside the tunnel not only improves the efficiency of traffic management, but also monitors the pollution situation in the tunnel in real time.
Conclusion
The completion of the Yatar Tunnel is not only an engineering feat, it also provides convenient transportation for residents in remote areas. However, in such a huge project, we should think about how future tunnel construction can achieve higher technological breakthroughs and safety guarantees on the basis of environmental protection?
