Odisha’s first highway tunnel inches closer towards completion; NHAI sets new record

Bhubaneswar: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today achieved a milestone in the construction of ambitious 3.42 Km-long and 3-lane twin tunnel project’s Tube 2 on Raipur-Visakhapatnam Expressway. This is the first highway tunnel breakthrough in Odisha’s Koraput district, said the NHAI.

According to an official source, NHAI had to excavate around 750 metres of the tunnel in a month and complete nearly 36.8 metres face excavation in a single day from four faces, thereby creating a new national record for achieving this significant feat in tunnel construction.

Taking to its official ‘X’ handle, the NHAI wrote, “Demonstrating commitment towards safety, zero injury time was reported during the 31.5 lakh man-hours of work in the tunnel project.”

Worth mentioning, the project was approved under Phase-I of Bharatmala Pariyojana at an estimated cost of Rs 16,000 Crore. A 124 Km-long road is also to be constructed under the project along with the twin tunnels in Koraput. NHAI has acquired 773 hectares of private, 307 hectares of government, and 365 hectares of forest lands in Koraput and Nabarangpur districts.

Construction work is going on in full swing and the project is expected to complete by 2025.

With the first Highway tunnel breakthrough in the state of #Odisha, #NHAI achieved a milestone in the construction of tube 2 of the 3.42 km long 3-lane twin tunnel project on Raipur–Visakhapatnam Expressway. #PragatiKaHighway pic.twitter.com/A9JncmUqxk

— NHAI (@NHAI_Official) May 22, 2024