The US$101 million Sela Tunnel in India’s Arunachal Pradesh State has been inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Sela Tunnel project has been executed by India’s Border Road Organisation (BRO). The tunnel was built as part of Project VARTAK managed by the BRO and with construction carried out by Patel Engineering.
The tunnel consists of a link road and two tunnels. Tunnel 2 is 1.555km in length with one bi-lane tube for traffic and another dedicated to emergency services. Meanwhile, Tunnel 1 is a 980m long single-tube. The two tunnels are 1.2km apart. The project also included building 8.7km of connecting roads.
The new tunnel provides an important connection to India’s border with China. Located at an altitude of 3,000m, the tunnel will replace the Sela Pass, which is around 400m higher. The construction of the new tunnel connection will provide a safer route for drivers and allow travel in poor weather.
