Now one can visit the beautiful Sonamarg Valley of Kashmir in every season. To connect it, the Z-turn tunnel is ready. It is expected that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is going to inaugurate it on January 13, after which connectivity in Jammu and Kashmir will improve with better travel. This tunnel will bypass the road from Gagangir to Sonamarg. With this, tourists and local people will be able to visit the hill station throughout the year.
The Z-Morh Tunnel is part of the Zojila Tunnel Project providing all-weather connectivity to the Ladakh region. Z-Morh Tunnel has been built in Ganderbal district of Jammu and Kashmir. This tunnel is 6.5 kilometers long between Gagangir-Sonmarg. It has been made a 2-lane road tunnel. It is named Z because of the Z-shape of the road. At present the Gagangir-Sonmarg road is closed due to heavy snowfall and avalanches. With the construction of this tunnel, Sonamarg can be reached in every season.
The construction of Z-Morh tunnel will be of great benefit not only to the people but also to the army. Through this, military logistics will increase and tourism will also get a boost in every season. Its construction will open sources of employment for local youth. It will take only 15 minutes to cross the 6.5 km long Z-turn tunnel. This tunnel is on the Srinagar-Leh highway which is more important from geo-strategic point of view. Along with the Zojila Tunnel, this geo-strategically important tunnel on the Srinagar-Leh Highway will provide year-round weather-proof connectivity to Baltal (Amarnath Caves), Kargil and other places in the Ladakh region.
The construction of this tunnel was started in 2018 and it is one of the 31 road tunnels. There were many difficulties in its construction. There was a terrorist attack on the tunnel on 20 October 2024, in which the terrorists entered the workers' camp and fired indiscriminately. Seven people were killed in this attack, including six non-local workers of the infrastructure company building the Z-Morh tunnel.
