Union Minister for Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said the strategic Zoji la tunnel on Srinagar-Leh highway will be completed by September 2026, with a total project cost of Rs 6,809.69 crore.
In a written reply in the Lok Sabha, Gadkari said the Zoji la Tunnel project consists of construction of a tunnel of 13.153 km and approach roads to the tunnel of length 17.030 km, totaling a length of 30.18 km.
He said the total project cost is Rs. 6,809.69 crore and the physical progress of the project as on date is 52.13 percent.
NC MP Mian Altaf Ahmad had asked the minister about the details, current status and the total cost of the project.
“The scheduled completion date of the project is 29.09.2026,” the minister said, adding that at least 1043 locals have been employed by the supervising consultant, contractor & sub-contractor.
The tunnel coming up in Zojila is a 7.57-m high horseshoe-shaped, single-tube, two-lane tunnel which will pass under the Zojila Pass in the Himalayas between Ganderbal in Kashmir and Drass town in Kargil district of Ladakh.
The project includes a Smart Tunnel (SCADA) system, which has been constructed using the New Austrian Tunneling Method. It is equipped with facilities like CCTV, radio control, uninterrupted power supply, and ventilation.
“The use of modern technology in this project has saved the government more than Rs 5,000 crore,” the ministry had said earlier.
Under the project, the main Zojila tunnel of 13,153 meters with four culverts of total length of 810 meters, four Nilgrar tunnels of total length of 4,821 meters, eight cut and covers of total length of 2,350 meters and three 500 meters, 391 meters and 220 meters of vertical ventilation shaft were proposed.
With the construction of this tunnel, there will be all-weather connectivity for Ladakh.
Currently the average travel time to cross the Zojila Pass is three hours. After the completion of this tunnel, the travel time will come down to 20 minutes, resulting in fuel savings.