[vattyboy]

PM Modiji inaugurated this beautiful 6.5 km's long tunnel on 13 January 2025 by luck, I was in Kashmir on a winter vacation trip from 11th January to 17 January.

For security reasons of PM Modi ji, Sonamarg was closed from the 11th till the 13th of January ( got to know this just after landing in Srinagar) my stars were aligned so well that by luck I placed Sonamarg after Pahalgam and Gulmarg in my itinerary and priorly booked hotels for stay in Sonmarg on the 14th and 15th of January 2025.

I was among the first people who drove through this beautiful tunnel just after its inauguration.

I rented a self-drive Macho Scorpio Classic just after landing at Srinagar Airport. The fun of self-driving a big black SUV on Kashmir roads and through this beautiful tunnel was something else!

The quantity and quality of lights used inside the tunnel is very good. Speed limit is set at 50 kmph.

As a civil engineer, I can vouch about the quality of Tunnel, was is no leakage of moisture or water in the entire tunnel.












Here are some videos -

Daytime approach ( Direction Sonamarg to Srinagar)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=8NFr3DqS...0SCPCgQG-RTrma

Night approach ( Direction Srinagar to Sonamarg)
In this direction, this tunnel has an approach of 3-4 km's.

https://youtube.com/watch?v=gUa_qZeb...OF1w9GGHUO3fYI

Some Details about this tunnel -

- The Sonamarg Tunnel, previously known as Z-Morh Tunnel, is a 6.5 km long 2-lane road tunnel between Gagangair and Sonamarg in the Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is named after the Z-shaped stretch of road that the tunnel has replaced (Z-Morh translates to "Z-turn" in English). The road used before was avalanche-prone and used to get blocked during the winter months due to heavy snowfall, but the Z-Morh tunnel provides all-weather connectivity to the Sonamarg tourist town.[2] It takes only 15 minutes to travel the 6.5 km long tunnel compared to hours over the previous zig-zag road.

- Together with the adjacent Zoji-La Tunnel, this geostrategically important tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh national highway provides year-round all-weather connectivity to Baltal (Amarnath cave), Kargil and other places in Ladakh, enhances Indian military logistics and boosts tourism and local economy. It is one of 31 road tunnels, 20 in J&K and 11 in Ladakh, constructed at a combined cost of INR1400 billion (~US$17.5 billion).
The tunnel lies near Gagangir in the Ganderbal District of the Indian Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, and has great strategic importance for India as it will provide quicker and year-long access to Zoji-la. The older road without this tunnel is vulnerable to dangerous snowfall and avalanches, which necessitates its closure for several months in a year. The Z-Morh Tunnel, along with the Zoji-La Tunnel, located 325km west towards Leh, will ensure uninterrupted connection between Srinagar and Kargil. The completion of the Z-Morh tunnel will also significantly reduce the travel time between Srinagar and Leh as commuters will no longer need to stay overnight in Kargil to compete the trip.


- The tunnel will increase social and economic development throughout the region and boost tourism in Sonamarg, which boasts attractions including the Thajiwas Glacier and activities such as whitewater rafting on the Sind River.

- The Z-Morh tunnel is a two-lane bi-directional road tunnel between Gagangir and Sonmarg starting at 69.5 km stone and ending at 81.3 km stone on NH 1.

- The tunnel itself is 6.5 km long and the length of the approach roads between the tunnel portals and NH 1 is 6.05 km for both ends.

- The tunnel is 10 m wide with a 7.5 m wide parallel escape tunnel to be used both in an emergency and as the railway tunnel.

- The tunnel is designed for the flow of 1,000 vehicles an hour at an approved maximum speed of 80 km per hour.

- The tunnel is located at an elevation of 2,637 meters (8,652 ft) above sea level.
The total capital cost of the project was approved at ₹27 billion in July 2012. This includes ₹36.48 crore for the cost of land, resettlement, rehabilitation, and other pre-construction activities.

- The tunnel will help keep the highway open the entire year.

Source- Wikipedia https://search.app/cdc3MXVtFaeLxZoG8

[Aditya]

Thread moved out from the Assembly Line. Thanks for sharing!

[antz.bin]

Thanks for sharing!

We wasted so many hours on this road on our trip to-from Ladakh in May 2023. Would love to go again, but only after the Zoji-la tunnel and the Shinku-La tunnels complete.

It will make the road drivable all year round, but it will definitely make the journey a lot less of an adventure. Great for the locals and for the army though. Great job done by the teams.