On Tuesday, engineers working inside a Himalayan mountain completed the final blast of a critical tunnel that links India’s Kashmir Valley to its Ladakh frontier with China, marking a key step in the country’s push to secure year-round access to one of its most sensitive border areas.
The Zojila Tunnel, stretching 13.14 kilometers (8.2 miles) beneath the mountains, will become India’s longest road tunnel once finishing work is done, with full operation expected by 2028.
Road Minister Nitin Gadkari remotely triggered the last detonation at the eastern portal near Minimarg in Ladakh, joining excavations driven from both ends of the mountain over more than five years.
Gadkari described the project as far more than a transport link, saying it serves as a vital lifeline for communities cut off by winter weather.
Project engineer Manmohan Singh said the team completed the job without a single accident despite working through extreme cold and difficult conditions around the clock.
Himalayan tunnel gives India year-round access near China
The Zojila Pass, which the tunnel cuts beneath at an elevation of 11,578 feet, currently shuts down every winter under heavy snowfall that can pile well above the roof of a large truck, blocking road travel between Srinagar and Leh for months. More than 3,000 workers have been involved in excavation since October 2020.
In Photos | Zojila Tunnel Poised for Historic Breakthrough
Security personnel stand guard outside the Zojila Tunnel in Minamarg ahead of the landmark breakthrough ceremony of the ₹6,500-crore project. Set to provide all-weather connectivity between Kashmir and Ladakh, the… pic.twitter.com/PkM4tqDIC3
— Kashmir Observer® (@kashmirobserver) June 9, 2026
This tunnel is one of four major passages in a $712 million road corridor that also includes the 6.5-kilometer (4 miles) Sonamarg tunnel, with all components targeted for full operation by 2028.
Beyond road access, India launched a $3.9 billion railway from its lowland plains to Kashmir in June 2025, as reported by Al Jazeera, featuring the Chenab Rail Bridge, currently the world’s tallest railway bridge.
The 272-kilometer (169 miles) line starts at Udhampur, the base of the Indian Army’s northern command.
Billions in rail and roads back India’s border push
The push behind all these projects traces to a deadly confrontation in Galwan Valley in June 2020, when Indian and Chinese soldiers fought hand-to-hand at high altitude, killing 20 Indian troops.
The clash set off an accelerated construction race on both sides of the 3,500-kilometer (2,175 miles) shared border.
The Himalayan tunnel is central to India’s effort to close the infrastructure gap with China, where both countries completed troop disengagement at contested frontier points in October 2024, as reported by The Diplomat.
Kashmir has been split between India and Pakistan since the end of British rule in August 1947, with both countries claiming it in full.
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