Final blast marks breakthrough of 13.15 km Zojila tunnel

A historic breakthrough in the construction of the world's longest single-tube bidirectional road tunnel is scheduled for Tuesday, June 9, 2026. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari will trigger the final blast to complete the excavation of the 13.15-kilometer Zojila Tunnel, connecting the Union Territories of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh at an altitude of over 11,500 feet.

The tunnel, being built by Hyderabad-based Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), will provide all-weather connectivity between Srinagar and Leh, a route historically cut off for months each year due to heavy snowfall and avalanches at the Zojila Pass. The breakthrough marks the meeting point of excavation faces that began simultaneously from the Baltal side in Kashmir and the Minamarg side in Ladakh in April 2021, a strategy employed to accelerate construction.

Officials described the project as one of the most challenging tunnel constructions in the Himalayas, with engineers and a workforce of approximately 1,200 battling fragile geology, unstable rock formations, severe water ingress, and winter temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Celsius. The project has employed...