Pandoh-Takoli viaduct, tunnels to be ready next year: Project manager

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Mandi, December 13

The Chandigarh-Manali four-laning project has been gaining momentum in the past few months, which will prove to be a boon to the tourism industry of Kullu-Manali and the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti once completed. The National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) is monitoring the project.

Official sources said the Pandoh-Takoli viaduct and tunnels would be ready next year on the Chandigarh-Manali highway.

With the completion of the Pandoh-Takoli project, the journey to one of India’s most-favoured tourist destination, Manali, through the Pandoh-Takoli bypass is set to change.

Ranjit Kumar Singh, Afcons’s project manager for the Pandoh-Takoli project, said, “With 10 tunnels, one elevated viaduct, three major bridges, 10 minor bridges and two-laning of more than 13 km on this road project, the road travel will be spectacular, safe and friendly. A major part of the circuitous and landslide-prone mountain highway will pass through tunnels providing all-weather connectivity to Kullu-Manali and a safe passage for the Army, tourists and locals in the region.”

“We have completed nearly 60 per cent of the total project. We are concurrently working on multiple features of the project, including tunnels, structures and highway. Out of 10 tunnels (four twin tube and two single tube), we have already completed five tunnels (two twin-tube and one single tube). We are hopeful of completing the excavation of all available tunnel working fronts by July next year,” he said.

“The Pandoh-Takoli project is extremely complex and challenging. There are no existing tunnels in Himachal with an excavation area of 121 sq m. These are the largest cross-sectional tunnels in the Himalayan region,” he added.

“The project consists of a 2.8-km tunnel (T4-01) which is the longest twin tube tunnel on this highway with a clear distance of 34 m between each other. The working conditions are extremely difficult. Tunneling is being done in poor geology with a powder factor of 0.8 kg/cum which is lower than 1.4 kg/cum which is standard for other tunneling projects in the Himalayan region. Despite all constraints, we had achieved 172 m heading excavation from single face in a month for a tunnel with 13.2 diameter, which is the highest in the Himalayan region,” said Ranjit.

He said, “Another major highlight of the project is an 823-m elevated viaduct which is the longest such structure on this highway. We have almost completed 70 per cent of the elevated viaduct and will hand it over by July 2021.”