Dhalli-Sanjauli tunnel ends to meet soon

Shimla, September 1

The east and the west portal of the tunnel, which is being constructed parallel to the existing Dhalli-Sanjauli tunnel, will be connected within a fortnight. “We need to dig around 15 metre more to join both the ends. We are confident of achieving the milestone before September 15,” Pawan Sharma, Chief Engineer of the Himachal Pradesh Road Infrastructure Development Corporation (HPRIDC), said.

All the stages of the tunnel — whose foundation stone was laid on March 10 — has been completed within the project timeline by the HPRIDC, the implementing agency of this Smart City project.

3 to 4 months needed More

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The finishing and ancillary work will have to be completed before making the tunnel functional. It will take three to four months to complete these works which include footpaths, installing cameras, etc. —Pawan Sharma, Chief Engineer, HPRIDC

After the two portals are connected, it will take another three to four months to make the tunnel functional. “The finishing and ancillary work will have to be completed before making the tunnel functional. The ancillary work includes constructing pedestrian paths, light ducting and installing CCTV cameras,” said Sharma.

Interestingly, no blasting was done to construct the tunnel as locals were wary about safety of their houses. “Several residential buildings are on the hill through which the tunnel is being constructed. We understood their concerns and decided not to use explosives. Also, if we had used blasting and then someone had approached the court, the project might have been delayed. So, the contractor mobilised additional machinery and dug up the tunnel by breaking down the rocks and other obstructions,” said Sharma.

To keep up with the strict timeline, work was carried out day and night. “It was not possible to dump the muck during the day there’s a lot of traffic on the Dhalli-Sanjauli tunnel. So, it was dumped at night,” RK Shridhar, Superintending Engineer of the HPRIDC, said.

The existing single-lane tunnel, which was built in 1852, is under heavy vehicular pressure. This two-lane tunnel will ease the traffic at both the ends of the tunnel. “It will be a new year’s gift for the city residents and the state,” said Sharma.