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| Strabag awarded tender for a new large-scale project in India Acting on behalf of the Indian government, the Border Roads Organisation awarded the tender to build the 8.8 km long Rohtang Pass Highway Tunnel to Austrian construction giant Strabag as consortium leader along with Indian construction firm AFCONS. At 3,980 m, Rohtang Pass in the western Himalaya region of northern India is one of the highest navigable mountain passes in the world. The cost of building the tunnel and roadway amount to about € 250 million. The Strabag Group's share stands at around € 150 million. The Leh-Manali Highway, the only road connection to the northern border of Himachal Pradesh province, leads over Rohtang Pass. The heavy snowfalls and storms in the region mean the communities north of the pass are cut off from the rest of the country for at least four, sometimes six, months of the year when the road is closed during the winter. The construction of the Rohtang Tunnel at approx. 3,100 m above sea level will make the Leh-Manali Highway passable year-round and will contribute significantly to the economic development of the northern border region. Tunnelling works are scheduled to begin in spring of 2010. With a planned construction time of about 5.5 years, the tunnel should be completed at the end of 2015. write your comments about the article :: © 2009 Construction News :: home page |