Kiratpur-Manali Highway's Five Tunnels Opened For Traffic: Watch Video

As part of the project, up to 10 tunnels are being built between Pandoh and Aut in the Mandi district; five of them, between Hanogi and Jhalog, have already been finished.

Image Source- Twitter

Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway's five tunnels stretching from Hanogi to Jhalogi are now open for traffic. The highway connecting Kiratpur and Manali will be commissioned for public use starting June 15. Furthermore, the highway is expected to improve connectivity by reducing the travel time between Delhi and Manali. Presently, the journey between both cities takes around 14 hours, which is expected to be reduced to 10 hours. Similar effects will be observed for the route between Chandigarh and Manali.

The travel time between Chandigarh and Manli will be reduced significantly because of the reduction in distance by around 40 km. To make the journey easier and have an even flow of traffic, multiple tunnels have been constructed along the four-lane highway to avoid any disruptions caused by landslides, and rock falls on the way.

The Pandoh bypass, a vital section of this roadway, is already finished. The NH3's Kiratpur-Manali section, which runs 35 km from the bypass to Takoli, was one of the most hazardous parts of the route. This segment has more than ten bridges, an elevated viaduct, and ten tunnels.

#WATCH | Mandi, Himachal Pradesh: Five tunnels constructed from Hanogi to Jhalogi in Mandi district on the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane were opened for traffic (20.05) pic.twitter.com/1MFqpSjrzU

— ANI (@ANI) May 21, 2023

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari enjoyed the vista while driving along the four-lane Pandoh Bypass in a video he released earlier this month on Twitter. He had commented, "Stunning visual... Commuters are enjoying superb uphill driving conditions."

The flyover near Aut and the 30-km section between Mandi and Aut are also finished. The flow of traffic between Mandi and Kullu will be ensured by this section.

The Union Minister said in a series of tweets that five of them between Hanogi and Jhalog have been finished and are now open for testing. The segment of the route was the most hazardous because it was susceptible to flooding from the Beas River and falling rocks and landslides.