Chenani–Nashri Tunnel
The Tunnel at night | |
| Overview | |
|---|---|
| Other name(s) |
|
| Location | Jammu and Kashmir, India |
| Status | Active |
| Route | National Highway 44 |
| Crosses | Patnitop, Kud, and Batote |
| Start | Chenani |
| End | Nashri, Ramban District |
| Operation | |
| Work begun | July 2011 |
| Opened | 2 April 2017 |
| Owner | National Highways Authority of India |
| Traffic | Automotive (except fuel tanker) |
| Character | Passenger and freight |
| Technical | |
| Design engineer | IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd |
| Length | 9.28 kilometres (5.77 mi) |
| No. of lanes | 2 |
| Operating speed | 50km/h |
| Highest elevation | 1,200 m (3,937 ft) |
| Width | 13 m (43 ft) |
Chenani-Nashri Tunnel, officially known as Dr. Syama Prasad Mookerjee Tunnel, (Hindi: डॉ. श्यामा प्रसाद मुखर्जी सुरंग) is a 9.28-kilometre-long (5.77 mi) road tunnel connecting the towns of Chenani and Nashri in Jammu and Kashmir, India. It carries two lanes of National Highway 44.
This all-weather tunnel bypasses an old section of Highway which is full of hair-pin bends and snowfall and avalanche prone areas in winter at places like Patnitop, Kud, and Batote that obstructed the highway every winter and caused long queues of vehicles; sometimes for days.
It is India's longest road tunnel with a length of 9.28 km (5.8 mi), and the country's first tunnel with a fully integrated tunnel control system. It reduces the distance between Jammu and Srinagar by 30 km and travel time by two hours. It is named after Syama Prasad Mookerjee, who served as the Minister for Industry and Supply in Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's cabinet and later founded the Bharatiya Jana Sangh.