Manali-Leh Highway

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The Tanglang La
Traffic jam on the way to Rohtang La

The Manali-Leh-Highway (also Leh-Manali-Highway ) is a 477 kilometer long traffic route in India , which connects the cities of Leh ( 34 ° 9 ′ 52 ″ N, 77 ° 35 ′ 5 ″ E ) in the union territory of Ladakh and Manali ( 32 ° 14 ′ 44 ″ N, 77 ° 11 ′ 14 ″ E ) in the state of Himachal Pradesh . The road is of strategic importance for the Indian armed forces as it is the only alternative route to the Srinagar – Leh connection ( National Highway 1D ) and, in contrast to this, runs far away from the Pakistani border. Many parts of the highway are only single-lane and only open between June and mid-September.

course

On its route through Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, the Manali-Leh Highway leads from Manali in the Kullu Valley to the Lahaul and Spiti region and to Ladakh. The most important place passed through is Keylong ( 32 ° 34 ′ 17 ″ N, 77 ° 1 ′ 59 ″ E ). Other important stops are Sarchu ( 32 ° 54 ′ 24 ″ N, 77 ° 34 ′ 58 ″ E ) and Pang ( 33 ° 7 ′ 44 ″ N, 77 ° 47 ′ 10 ″ E ). The road passes the border with the Zanskar region . From Upshi ( 33 ° 49 ′ 49 ″ N, 77 ° 48 ′ 50 ″ E ) to Leh, the road runs through the Indus Valley . This section is fully developed with two lanes and is the continuation of the National Highway 1D .

The "Highway" is known for the fact that it leads over several of the highest motorable mountain passes in the world, including the Rohtang La (3,978 m, 32 ° 21 ′ 55 ″ N, 77 ° 14 ′ 31 ″ E ), the Baralacha La (4,892 m, 32 ° 45 ′ 27 ″ N, 77 ° 24 ′ 52 ″ E ), the Lachulung La (5059 m, 33 ° 6 ′ 14 ″ N, 77 ° 37 ′ 46 ″ E ) and the Tanglang La (5,325 m, 33 ° 30 ′ 29 ″ N, 77 ° 46 ′ 15 ″ E ) in the Himalayas .

The mountain range on which the first pass, the Rohtang La, lies, acts as a climatic divide . On the side towards Manali there is considerably more precipitation than on the side towards Keylong. Therefore, the Rohtang La is the pass with the most snow on the entire route and is therefore decisive for the road being closed.

Operation and expansion

When the Border Roads Organization has cleared the road from snow and repaired the winter damage, it clears the road. After that, work will be carried out on the road the entire time it will be opened, in order to expand it, repair the thin bitumen cover and repair damage caused by landslides. Mainly on Rohtang La, but also in other sections of the route, it will be expanded to two lanes. In addition, the 8.8-kilometer Rohtang Pass Highway Tunnel west of Rohtang La has been under construction since spring 2010 . Completion was planned for the end of 2015. In summer 2018 it was announced that the tunnel would be opened to traffic in November 2019. This would mean that the Lahaul and Spiti region would no longer be cut off from the outside world in winter.

The Manali-Leh Highway is to become part of National Highway 21 in 2012 after the ongoing construction work is completed.

The actual implementation of the maintenance and expansion work is subject to so-called projects within Border Roads organization. The Deepak project is responsible for the section of the highway in Himachal Pradesh from Manali to Sarchu, and the Himank project for the Sarchu to Leh section in Ladakh .

traffic

Accident of an overloaded truck

There is a regular bus service on the street. The required stopover is mostly in Jispa ( 32 ° 38 ′ 28 ″ N, 77 ° 11 ′ 25 ″ E ) or Keylong .

Goods are mainly transported in the direction of Leh.

Again and again, heavily loaded trucks lead to accidents, which then often block the road. But landslides can also make the road impassable for hours or even days.

Sports

The Austrian long-distance cyclist Jacob Zurl mastered the route in August 2014 in a record time of 38 hours and 40 minutes and finished his endeavor on Khardung La ( 5360  m ). The average altitude of 4000  m and the associated low oxygen saturation as well as traffic jams that made it difficult for the supply vehicle to move forward proved to be particular challenges .

Web links

Commons : Leh – Manali Highway  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Strabag opens up India as a new strategic market . Strabag press release of October 14, 2009 at aktien-portal.at, accessed on May 24, 2016.
  2. ^ Rohtang tunnel to be completed by Nov 2019. In: The Statesman. July 28, 2018, accessed December 22, 2018 .
  3. ↑ Deepak website ( Memento from June 19, 2009 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Himank . ( Memento of March 10, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Border Roads Organization, accessed May 24, 2016.
  5. ^ The High Road. HENX Film und Video GesbR, accessed on April 6, 2016 .
  6. ^ The High Road - Nonstop Across the Himalayas. Documentary film , HENX 2015 Director / Editor / Book: Nils cold Schmidt & Vincent Seidl, in the March 26, 2016 ORF SPORT + broadcast ( trailer ).