Rohtang Pass Highway Tunnel, India

South Portal

On September 24, 2009, STRABAG AG Austria as leader of a Joint Venture with Indian construction company AFCONS was awarded the contract for the construction of the 8.8 km long Rohtang Pass Highway Tunnel. Employer is the Government of India through its subsidiary Border Roads Organisation. The Rohtang Pass in the Western Himalaya region of Northern India with its altitude of 3,980 m ranks among the highest trafficable passes in the world. Construction costs for the tunnel including pavement amount to approx. EUR 250 mil. STRABAG’s share thereof is EUR 150 mil. DYWIDAG International GmbH, Munich, Germany, a 100 % affiliate of STRABAG, will perform the tunnelling works. The only road connection to the north Indian border region of the province Himachal-Pradesh, the Manali-Leh-Highway, leads across the Rohtang Pass. Due to the heavy snowfall and high velocity winds in this region the towns located north of the pass are landlocked from the rest of the country during winter closure for at least four, often even six months each year. With the construction of the tunnel at 3,100 m above sea level the Manali-Leh-Highway will become an all-weather road, thereby enabling a significant improvement of the economical development of the northern Himachal-Pradesh. Manali, south of the pass, is an already well developed tourist area becoming more and more popular in summer as well as in winter time. After completion of the tunnel it is most likely for the tourist activities to extend to the area north of the pass. Moreover, the tunnel shortens the distance between the towns Manali and Leh by approx. 45 km saving several hours on the small, dangerous pass road. Special challenges of this prestigious project are the altitude, the extreme climate as well as the geological conditions in the Himalaya. Within the tunnel area rock comprises manly schists and migmatit with expected three disturbed zones and in some individual areas high squeezing rock. Given these rock conditions the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM) provides many advantages. NATM enables flexible adjustments of the excavation works as well as the support systems. Moreover, the equipment for the drill and blast excavation of the NATM can also be transported on the small and twisty pass road to the north entrance of the tunnel. The existing road with its many switchbacks would present extreme difficulties when transporting a tunnel boring machine. The 8.8 km long, horse shoe shaped tunnel will be 10 m wide. This provides space for a two-lane, 8 m wide carriageway as well as a 1 m wide footpath on both sides. Beneath the main carriageway a 2.25 m high and 3.6 m wide emergency tunnel will be integrated in the tunnel cross-section. Altogether, more than 800,000 m³ of rock will be moved. Tunnelling works are scheduled to start in spring 2010 with excavation driven from both portals. As the north portal is inaccessible during winter closure, focus of the excavation will be from the south. After a planned construction period of 5.5 years the tunnel is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2015. >> Back