Digdool-Panthyal AT-03 South Bound Tunnel - NH-44.

1. AT-03 South Bound Digdool-Panthyal Tunnel

Name: AT-03 South Bound Digdool-Panthyal Tunnel

Location: Panthyal to Digdool, Ramban district, NH-44

Length: 3500 meters / 3.5 km

Lanes: 4-lane, part of twin tube system

Cost: Rs 846 crore to Rs 866.37 crore

Built by: NHAI via Sarla Project Works Pvt. Ltd.

Status: Completed June 2026, opened before Amarnath Yatra 2026

Purpose: Bypasses Khooni Nala and Panthyal landslide zones

Travel Time: Reduces crossing from hours to 5 minutes

2. Digdool-Panthyal Twin Tube System

Southbound tube: 3.08 km to 3.5 km

Northbound tube 1: 2.6 km

Northbound tube 2: 0.619 km

Total Project Cost: Rs 866.37 crore

Construction Method: New Austrian Tunnelling Method NATM

Physical Progress: 87.2% as of March 2026, now complete

Width: 10 meters per tube

3. 4-Laning Projects NH-44 J&K

Udhampur to Ramban: Rs 1,758.68 crore, 4-lane with paved shoulders

Ramban to Banihal: Rs 1,623.98 crore, includes tunnels and viaducts

Qazigund to Banihal: Complete, includes Navyug Tunnel 8.45 km

Chenani-Nashri: 9.2 km tunnel, already operational

4. New Bypasses and Tunnels Sanctioned

Chenani-Sudhmahadev-Goha-Khellani: 38 km greenfield bypass, 34 km complete, balance by Oct 2026

Sudhmahadev-Dranga Tunnel: 12.85 km twin-tube on NH-244

Singhpora-Vailoo Tunnel: 38.61 km twin-tube on NH-244, will be India’s longest

5. Impact of NH-44 Upgrades

Old Travel Time Jammu to Srinagar: 10 to 12 hours, often more due to closures

New Travel Time: 5 to 6 hours once all projects complete late 2026

All-weather Connectivity: Tunnels bypass all major landslide zones

Amarnath Yatra: 5+ lakh pilgrims use route safely now

Military Movement: Year-round access for Army convoys

Economic: Kashmir apples and goods move without delays

Total Investment NH-44 Corridor J&K: 37 road projects worth Rs 33,862 crore.