Tunnels play a key role in many projects, because they are very often key components on routes. Modern tunnel boring machines and construction technologies make it possible to build routes that run very close to ideal lines, bringing a real breakthrough for routes that would have been inconceivable in earlier times.
The Central Government will directly spend about Rs.12,000 crore to rebuild roads on Char Dham and Hemkund Saheb pilgrim routes in Uttarakhand which were damaged during the 2013 floods, adversely affecting the tourism business in the state, a union government official said. The project will be completed in the next four years.
An investment in HSR is typically a government decision which is primarily dependent on a number of factors, such as current and projected traffic, expected saving in time, and a reduction in accidents due to a modal shift, reduction in environmental externalities, ease in congestion in existing modes, and the average willingness of the users to pay.
In Uttarakhand, the State Planning Commission has proposed 99 km of all-weather roads with as many as 14 tunnels that would reduce distance and save precious time for travelers. In the state, the Himalayas are bleeding after the last June flash floods, which killed many and washed away properties.