PremiumThe Central government has given in-principle approval for the construction of a under water tunnel in the Brahmaputra river in Assam.
According to a report published in the Hindi daily Hindustan , the tunnel will be strategic importance as it will provide round the year connectivity between the North-Eastern states of Assam and Arunchal Pradesh.
The under water road tunnel will be constructed with latest state of the art technique which will help the vehicles to operate at a speed of 80kmph.
The tunnel will connect Gohpur(NH-54) with Numaligarh(NH-37) in Assam.
Hindustan has quoted a senior official according to whom the copnstruction of the tunnel is expected to start in December this year. The tunnel will be constructed in three phases and its total length will be 14.85 km.
The tunnel will have four lane and even the heavy military vehicles and others services can be transported easily through this tunnel which will save alotof time for reaching Arunachal Pradesh which share international border with China.
The report also said that the tunnel will be longer than the under water tunnel being built by China below the Taihu Lake in Jiangsu province.
The National Highways and Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (NHAIDCL) has roped in US firm Louis Berger which also prepared the Detailed Project Report(DPR) for the same.
The under water tunnel built by China below the Taihu Lake is 10.79km long.
The tunnel which will be constructed under river Brahmaputra will have two different capsules(Tube) for seamless movement of traffic from both the sides.
Special attention will taken to see that no water leakage happens in the tunnel and it will also have a ventilation system for the flow of fresh air in the tunnel .
Among the other security features that the tunnel will have includes emergency exit, drainage system and also equipped with crash barrier system.
