Breakthrough achieved on India’s widest tunnel

21 September 2021


Infrastructure provider Afcons has achieved the fourth and final breakthrough on India’s widest tunnel, the twin-tubed Igatpuri Tunnel in Maharashtra. At 8km long, the tunnel is also the fourth longest in the country.

For the past two years, around 1,500 workers and 150 engineers have worked on the US$373m twin-tunnel project. Each tube is 17.5m-wide and excavation was undertaken using the New Austrian Tunnelling Method (NATM).

Located on the Nashik Highway at Kasara Ghat, the project forms part of the 700km Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway, which aims to slash journey times between Mumbai and Nagpur from the current 14-15 hours to just 8-9 hours. Trains on the route currently take around 11 hours to complete the journey.

With final lining due to start imminently, the tunnel is expected to be ready for handover in June 2022.