Dehradun: To ease the traffic congestion and hassle-free Char Dham yatra in Uttarakhand, the Union Road Transport Ministry is working on a plan to construct an 8 km long tunnel between Rishikesh and Tapovan on Badrinath national highway. This will facilitate the Char Dham pilgrim’s movement in the state.
For the Char Dham pilgrimage, the central government has an ambitious double lane Char Dham road project connecting all the four religious sites in Uttarakhand.
To address traffic congestion, bypass and tunnel projects are being explored
This project will not only ease the journey but also provide relief to travellers from traffic jams. For the Char Dham Yatra, the Central Government has made the Char Dham road double lane under the All-Weather Road initiative. However, the continuous increase in the number of pilgrims has led to significant traffic congestion in many parts of the All-Weather Road. To address this, bypass and tunnel projects are being explored. The first approved project is a bypass in Rishikesh. Under this project, costing about ₹1500 crores, an elevated road and tunnel bypass will be constructed from Nepali Farm to Dhalwala.
Detailed project report has been sent to ministry
The DPR has been prepared and sent to the Union Road Transport Ministry for approval. Following this, plans are underway to expand the bypass and construct an 8 km tunnel from Dhalwala to Nirgattu, just beyond Tapovan, in Phase 2. The Union Road Transport Ministry will soon conduct a survey to assess the feasibility of this project. About Rs 800 crore will be spent on the construction of the tunnel from Dhalwala to Tapovan.
Most of the rafting and yoga sites of Rishikesh are situated in this area
This project will greatly benefit pilgrims traveling to Kedarnath and Badrinath, as well as local residents. The area where the tunnel is being constructed experiences heavy vehicle traffic, particularly around Rishikesh’s popular rafting and yoga sites, which results in significant congestion even during normal times. The completion of the bypass will ease the journey for Chardham pilgrims and alleviate traffic jams, providing smoother transportation during the travel season. Soon the survey work for this tunnel will be started. In a way, this will be an extension of the Rishikesh bypass and will provide great convenience to the travellers.
