Driving the Gokarla Tunnel: The world's longest high-altitude road tunnel
The Gokarla Tunnel is a high mountain tunnel located in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Situated on the Lhasa-Tsethang Highway, this infrastructure project took seven years to complete due to the difficulties of drilling through the mountains at an average altitude of 4,300 meters (14,107 ft) above sea level.
| Road facts: Gokarla Tunnel | |
|---|---|
| Location | Lhasa to Lhokha, Tibet |
| Average Elevation | 4,300 m (14,107 ft) |
| Tunnel Length | 12,790 m (Left) / 12,780 m (Right) |
| Highway Name | Lhasa-Tsethang Highway (S5) |
Where is the Gokarla Tunnel located?
The tunnel cuts directly through the mountain range connecting Dechen township (Dagze district of Lhasa) and Samye township (Zhanang county in Lhokha). This highway links the regional capital with the southern city of Lhokha, reducing a rough three-hour mountain drive to just about one hour.
How long and high is the Gokarla Tunnel?
It ranks as the world's longest road tunnel at such extreme elevation. The twin-tube structure features one lane stretching 12,790 meters and the parallel lane measuring 12,780 meters. One mouth sits at 4,248 meters above sea level, while the other is at 4,117 meters asl.
When was the Gokarla Tunnel built?
Construction began in 2016 and the tunnel officially topped out on June 28, 2023, opening to traffic at the end of that same year. Built by the China Communications Construction Company, a project of this scale would normally take a maximum of four years. However, the seven-year timeline was forced by the extreme environment above 4,000 meters. To manage the sub-zero temperatures, steep inclines, soil moisture, and dangerous gases under a severe lack of oxygen, crews had to rely on specialized machinery like three-arm drilling trolleys and electric excavators to cut down on manual labor hours.
Road suggested by: Hugh Wilson
Pic&more info: https://global.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202306/29/WS649cdadfa310bf8a75d6c402_2.html
