The long-awaited excavation of the Zojila Tunnel was completed on Tuesday after engineers removed the final 2.5‑metre rock section through a controlled blast, officials said, marking a major step toward year‑round road connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh.

According to NHIDCL and company sources, the 13.15‑kilometre tunnel — set to be the world’s longest bi‑directional road tunnel — now links the Baltal side in Ganderbal district of central Kashmir with Minimarg in Dras, Ladakh. Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari presided over the breakthrough ceremony and remotely initiated the final blast, officials said.

What happened today

• Engineers removed the last rock section at about 2.30pm local time, completing the twin faces of the tunnel.

• The excavation used the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM), project documents show.

• Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Limited (MEIL), the contractor, said the tunnel construction logged 10 million safe man‑hours and is roughly 80% complete overall.

Location and timeline
The tunnel sits roughly 24 km from Sonamarg and about 103 km from Srinagar at an altitude near 11,578 feet. Construction began in October 2020 after MEIL won the contract from the National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation (NHIDCL). Officials said the excavation finished about six months ahead of schedule, with the full project — including approach roads and bridges — expected to be operational by February 2028.

Engineering details

• Length: 13.15 km (bi‑directional).

• Width: 9.5 metres; height: 7.57 metres.

• The larger project stretches about 31 km including an 18‑km approach road from Sonamarg to Minimarg.
  NHIDCL sources described the tunnel as equipped with modern safety and monitoring systems, although detailed timelines for installation and testing of those systems were not immediately available.

Why it matters
The Zojila pass has for decades been a choke point. Heavy snowfall, avalanches and bad weather close the pass for several months every year, severing direct road access to Ladakh from the Kashmir Valley. Once the tunnel and its approaches are fully finished, travel time on the stretch is expected to fall from about one to one‑and‑a‑half hours to roughly 15 minutes, officials said — a change that would reshape logistics for civilians, tourists and defence movement alike.

Local and ground reality
Construction at the high‑altitude site has been challenging. Work has continued through extreme winters and a handful of avalanche incidents over the last five years; January 2023 saw the Army rescue 172 workers after a severe event. Sources close to the project said additional mitigation and slope‑stabilisation works remain ongoing along approach roads.

Cost and contractors
Project cost is estimated at about ₹6,500 crore. MEIL, which is executing the tunnel, said in a release that the work used advanced tunnelling technology suitable for fragile mountainous geology. NHIDCL provided oversight and project management for the strategically important corridor.

Official comments
At the ceremony, Mr. Gadkari called the breakthrough “a golden day in the history of India’s infrastructure,” and described the tunnel as a lifeline for families, businesses and defence logistics in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. Ministry officials emphasized that safety trials, ventilation, lighting and emergency systems will undergo rigorous testing before the tunnel opens to public traffic.

Next steps
With excavation complete, attention now shifts to lining, installation of safety systems, ventilation, lighting and conducting trial runs. Sources said commissioning and final clearances will take place in stages ahead of the planned February 2028 opening, though exact interim milestones were not disclosed.

Why watchers are watching
Analysts and transport planners say the tunnel could transform regional tourism and trade, reduce fuel consumption and improve response times for emergency services. Local officials, however, note that road maintenance, winter clearing on approach stretches and managing increased visitor flows will be fresh managerial challenges once the tunnel is operational.

Focus near the end: The Zojila Tunnel excavation milestone now sets the clock for a tight, multi‑year push of technical fit‑outs and tests before the valley and Ladakh see the continuous, all‑weather road link engineers have long promised.