What is inside the most intelligent tunnel in the world?

India's longest road tunnel -- the Chenani-Nashri tunnel road, also known as Patnitop tunnel -- built on the Jammu-Srinagar highway four-lane highway will open to traffic by March end.

India's longest road tunnel -- the Chenani-Nashri tunnel road, also known as Patnitop tunnel -- built on the Jammu-Srinagar highway four-lane highway will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on April 2, following a successful completion of trial run. The work was supposed to be over by March 2016, but a dispute between the construction workers and the executing agency and challenging weather conditions caused the delay.

Here are some interesting facts about this mammoth tunnel:

• The tunnel, at 9.2 km is the longest road tunnel in the country, and has cost around Rs 3,720 crore.

• The distance between Chenani and Nashri sectors is around 41 km, so the tunnel has reduced the travel time - it will be now 31 km short.

• It will cost an LMV vehicle Rs 55 on one side, and Rs 85 for a to-and-fro journey. For a month's travel, one has to shell out Rs 1,870.

• 124 CCTV cameras have been installed at equal intervals of 75 meters

• Mobile network of telecom operators including Airtel, Idea and BSNL; and 92.7 FM Radio channel facility is also functional inside the tunnel.

• This is an all-weather route, so it will be operational through winters.

• Rs 27 lakh worth of fuel is expected to be saved per day, and around 2.5 hours of travel time reduced.

• The project has provided employment to more than 2,000 skilled and unskilled Jammu and Kashmir youths. Ninety-four percent of the workforce has been employed from the state.

• The maximum speed limit to be followed in this tunnel is 50kmph.

• The tunnel has been equipped with three-tier lighting system that works round the clock.

• A smaller parallel escape tunnel (5 m in diameter) for emergency services and extraction of smoke and persons, in case of fire and accident.

OneIndia News