Jawahar Tunnel, also called Banihal Tunnel is a

road tunnel A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...

in Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. Named after the first Prime Minister of India

Jawaharlal Nehru Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru (; ; ; 14 November 1889 – 27 May 1964) was an Indian anti-colonial nationalist, secular humanist, social democrat— * * * * and author who was a central figure in India during the middle of the 20t ...

, it was constructed for round-the-year surface transport between 1954 and 1956. The Jawahar tunnel has been operational since 22 December 1956. The length of tunnel is . It has one lane road in either direction. It is situated between Banihāl and

Qazigund Qazigund, also known as Gateway Of Kashmir, is a town and in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, India. Qazigund is located at . It has an average elevation of 1670 m (5478 feet) above mean sea level. Qazigund Bypass Passes Th ...

on NH 1A that has been renumbered

NH 44 National Highway 44 (NH 44) is a major north–south National Highway in India and is the longest in the country. It passes through the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in addition to the states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, ...

. The tunnel facilitates round-the-year road connectivity between Srinagar and

Jammu Jammu is the winter capital of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. It is the headquarters and the largest city in Jammu district of the union territory. Lying on the banks of the river Tawi, the city of Jammu, with an area of ...

. The tunnel was constructed by Alfred Kunz and C. Barsel of

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

between 1954 and 1960. The tunnel was renovated by the Border Roads Organization under the project BEACON in 1960. It was designed for 150 vehicles per day in each direction but the number of vehicles is now 7,000 in both directions. After renovation, the tunnel now has a two-way ventilation system, pollution & temperature sensors, lighting system and with emergency phones for any assistance installed from Border Roads Organization. It is guarded by military round the clock. Photography or videography inside or nearby the tunnel is strictly prohibited. Once the vehicle enters the tunnel, it has to maintain the same speed throughout the tunnel. CCTVs are installed in the tunnel for continuous monitoring. Until 2009, the tunnel was closed for civilian traffic between midnight and 08:00. It is now open 24 hours a day. A new, higher-capacity, all-weather tunnel (

Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel Banihal Qazigund Road Tunnel is a road tunnel in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is located in the Lower Himalayas, on National Highway 44. Its Construction started in 2011 and was completed in 2021. It is one of the longest tunnel in India, wi ...

) dug in May 2018 reduced the traffic through the Jawahar tunnel and also reduced the distance of 16 km from Jammu to Srinagar, which opened for traffic in June 2021.

References

{{Jammu and Kashmir topics Road tunnels in Jammu and Kashmir Tunnels completed in 1956 1956 establishments in Jammu and Kashmir Ramban district Anantnag district

See also

References