India's first eight-lane tunnel under Rajasthan tiger reserve opens in August

Marking a significant milestone in balancing infrastructure development with wildlife conservation Indias first eightlane highway tunnel on the DelhiMumbai Expressway constructed beneath a tiger reserve inRajasthans Kota district is set to officially open for all categories of vehicles in August this yearSafety trials with light vehicles are currently underwayThe 49km twintube tunnel located beneath the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve MHTR in Rajasthan on the DelhiVadodara section of the expressway has been opened initially for cars and emergency vehicles following the completion of safety inspectionsHeavy vehicles and all other traffic will be permitted only after additional evaluations regarding safety systems and mobile network connectivity inside the tunnel are completed by the authoritiesProject Director Sandeep Agrawal from the National Highway Authority of India NHAI in Kota stated during a phone interview with PTI The eightlane highway tunnel on the DelhiMumbai Expressway beneath MHTR has not yet been officially opened for all vehicle categories Currently only trials are underway with light vehicles such as carsWhile the civil work on the tunnel is nearly complete other ongoing work inside the tunnel is being conducted alongside regular testing he addedAgrawal noted that the tunnel is expected to officially open for all vehicle categories in August following directives from the Union MinistryAccording to NHAI officials the tunnel has been constructed entirely beneath the tiger reserve to avoid disturbing wildlife movement and to preserve the forest ecosystemIts design allows animals to move freely above the tunnel without interference from highway traffic making it an exemplary case of integrating transport infrastructure with environmental conservationThe tunnel features twin tubes each carrying four traffic lanes making it Indias first eightlane tunnel beneath a wildlife sanctuary Specialised engineering techniques were used in the development to minimise ecological impact while ensuring safe and efficient traffic flowThe project took over four years to complete with engineers overcoming geological and environmental challenges while adhering to stringent conservation standards Wildlife corridors in the reserve have been maintained to ensure the uninterrupted movement of tigers and other animalsThe tunnel is expected to substantially reduce travel time on the DelhiVadodara stretch of the DelhiMumbai Expressway by eliminating nearly 25 km of winding road through the reserveOfficials anticipate that once the entire expressway is fully operational the overall travel time between Delhi and Vadodara could be reduced from approximately 2022 hours to about 1012 hoursAn NHAI official said the phased opening with trial would continue until all safety features including communication systems and emergency response mechanisms are fully validated after which the tunnel will be opened to all categories of vehicles most likely after July 31 on any day in August this yearThe project is being seen as a landmark achievement in combining highspeed transport infrastructure with wildlife conservationThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever