Daylighting of India's widest tunnel

The end-to-end connectivity of India’s widest and fourth longest tunnel at Kasara Ghat near Igatpuri on the Nashik highway has been completed in a record two years.

The daylighting of the 8km twin tunnels, each 17.5m-wide, will help expedite completion of the 700km Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway.

The expressway aims to reduce travel time between Mumbai and Nagpur to 8-9 hours from 14-15 now. Even the fastest train on the route takes 11 hours.

The Rs 2,745-crore twin-tunnel project connects Tarangpada village in Nashik district and Vashala village in Thane district. Once operational, it will cut travel time through Kasara Ghat to five minutes from 30-35 minutes.

The designed driving speed of the tunnel is 120km/hour. It covers the gradient of 160m from near the hilltop close to Igatpuri to downhills near Vashala through the valley.