The 13.15-km-long Zojila Tunnel, Asia’s longest high-altitude highway tunnel, is expected to achieve a major construction breakthrough by April–May 2026.

The Rs 2,600 crore project will provide all-weather connectivity between Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh, ending the region’s long-standing winter isolation. Engineers and workers continue construction under extreme conditions, facing freezing temperatures, heavy snowfall and constant avalanche risks. Being executed by Megha Engineering and Infrastructures, the tunnel is a single-tube, two-lane structure passing beneath the Zojila Pass, linking Ganderbal in Kashmir with Drass in Ladakh’s Kargil district.

Once operational, it will allow uninterrupted civilian and military movement throughout the year and enable faster deployment of heavy defence equipment to the sensitive border region. Harpal Singh, Joint Chief Operating Officer of MEIL, said, “Of the total length of 13.25 km, excavation work on 12 km of tunnel has been completed.” Construction is progressing simultaneously from the Kashmir and Ladakh ends to accelerate completion.