BRO’s Atal Tunnel Receives ‘Best Infrastructure Project’ Award.

Recent Context

• The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) engineering marvel, Atal Tunnel, built-in Rohtang in Himachal Pradesh, received the Indian Building Congress (IBC) ‘Best Infrastructure Project’ award in New Delhi.

About Atal Tunnel

• The 9.02-km tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in the world above the height of 3,000 metres.
• It cuts through a mountain west of the Rohtang pass and shortens the distance between Solang Valley and Sissu by around 46 km and takes around 15 minutes to cover. Earlier, it would take nearly 4 hours to travel between the two points.
• Rohtang Pass is located in the state of Himachal Pradesh.
• It is present on the Pir Panjal Range of Himalayas.
• The tunnel, built using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), was dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 3, 2020.
• Fires inside the tunnel will be controlled within an area of 200 metres, and fire hydrants are provided at specific locations throughout the tunnel.
• Pollution sensors continuously monitor the air quality in the tunnel, and if the air quality is below the desired level, fresh air is injected into the tunnel via two heavy-duty fans on each side of the tunnel.