Major breakthrough in tunnel beneath Chamba town by BRO in ‘Char Dham’ road project

In a major breakthrough in the ongoing ‘Char Dham’ road project in Garhwal Himalayas, Border Roads Organisation (BRO) achieved a major milestone in the construction of a 450 meter tunnel below the densely populated Chamba town on Rishikesh-Dharasu road (NH 94) in Uttarakhand. The perfect linkup of the construction teams from north and south portals of the tunnel was accomplished amid challenges of COVID-19 and restrictions due to the nationwide lockdown.

The construction of the tunnel was a challenging task in terms of land acquisition, weak geology, continuous water seepage and dense built up area above the tunnel, increasing the chances of sinking.

The BRO started work on the north portal of the tunnel in January 2019 but work on south portal could commence only after October 2019 when issues concerning land compensation and safety of houses above the tunnel were resolved to the satisfaction of all stakeholders with active support from the Uttarakhand government.

The loss in time was compensated for by day and night working shifts along with use of modern technology and machines.

Nitin Gadkari, Union minister of Road transport and Highways, in his congratulatory  message has stated that BRO is a key stakeholder in the prestigious ‘Char Dham’ road Project and breakthrough of this tunnel will go a long way in facilitating speedy move of traffic. He also highlighted that latest Austrian technology was used in construction of the Chamba Tunnel.

The tunnel will be open for traffic by October 2020, almost three months before its scheduled date of completion of January 2021. The 6 km road and 450 metre tunnel is being constructed at a cost of ₹ 88 crore.

Under the prestigious ‘Char Dham’ road project costing about ₹12,000 crore, BRO is constructing 250 km of national highway leading to the holy Hindu shrines of Gangotri and Badrinath. A majority of the work is progressing ahead of schedule and five projects are slated for completion by October 2020.

Union Minister Nitin Gadhkari congratulated Lt Gen Harpal Singh, DG BRO and his team for completing the crucial projects of national importance over the last two years.