India’s first eight-lane highway tunnel, constructed beneath a tiger reserve in Rajasthan’s Kota district on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, is scheduled to open to all vehicular traffic in August, with safety trials currently underway.
The 4.9 km long double tube tunnel is located beneath the Mukundra Hills Tiger Reserve (MHTR) in Rajasthan on the Delhi-Vadodara section of the highway has already been opened for cars and emergency vehicles after completion of safety checks. The authorities will allow heavy vehicles and all other traffic only after completing additional assessments of the safety systems and connection to the mobile network inside the tunnel.
“The eight-lane expressway tunnel on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway under the MHTR is yet to be officially opened for all classes of vehicles. Currently, trials are being conducted only with light vehicles like cars,” said project director Sandeep Agrawal from India. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in Kota told news agency PTI.
He added that while the civil works in the tunnel are almost complete, there are other works underway inside the tunnel in addition to periodic tests.
Agrawal noted that the tunnel is expected to be officially opened for all categories of vehicles in August, following directions from the Union Ministry.
The tunnel is expected to significantly reduce travel time on the Delhi-Rail.Vadodara extension of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway by removing nearly 25 km of winding roads through the reserve.
Officials expect that once the expressway is fully operational, the total travel time between Delhi and Vadodara can be reduced from about 20-22 hours to about 10-12 hours.
What’s special about the tunnel?
According to NHAI officials quoted by PTI, the entire tunnel has been constructed under the tiger reserve to avoid disturbing wildlife movement and preserve the forest ecosystem.
- Its design allows animals to move freely over the tunnel without interference from highway traffic, making it an ideal case for integrating transportation infrastructure with environmental conservation.
- The tunnel features two twin tubes, each carrying four lanes of traffic, making it India’s first eight-lane tunnel under a wildlife sanctuary.
- Specialized engineering techniques were used in the development to minimize environmental impact while ensuring safe and efficient traffic flow.
The project took more than four years, during which engineers overcame geological and environmental challenges while adhering to strict conservation standards. The wildlife corridors in the reserve have been maintained to ensure uninterrupted movement of tigers and other animals.
An NHAI official said the trial phased opening will continue until all safety features, including communication systems and emergency response mechanisms, are validated, after which the tunnel will be opened for all classes of vehicles, most likely after July 31 any day in August this year.
The project is seen as a historic achievement in combining high-speed transportation infrastructure with wildlife conservation.
