Tough Mission in the Himalayas

A mission like no other: Deep in the inaccessible Himalayan mountains, at an altitude of more than 11,400 ft, a SUPER 1400i and a SUPER 1800-3i from Vögele were involved in the construction of what is probably India’s most ambitious tunneling project to date. The Zoji-La Tunnel, named after the mountain pass of the same name, provides a year-round, weather-independent connection between the regions of Ladakh and Kashmir and, with a length of approximately 8 miles, is the longest road tunnel in Asia.

Ideal Pavers for Tough Conditions

The asphalt work was carried out by one of the country’s largest infrastructure companies: Megha Engineering and Infrastructures Ltd. (MEIL), based in Hyderabad – a globally-active company and a specialist for projects in challenging environments.

For the paving work inside the tunnel, the company used a SUPER 1400i Universal Class paver from Vögele: Over a distance of 9.6 miles, the paving team laid down a 19 ft 8 in wide layer of dry lean concrete (DLC) with a thickness of 7 inches. For the paving of the 10.2 mile long and 34.4 ft wide section outside the tunnel, including access roads and bridges, the company deployed a second Universal Class paver, a SUPER 1800-3i with an AB 600 TV extending screed. As the most powerful tracked paver in its class, it is the ideal choice for a wide range of applications and impressively demonstrated its unique strengths even in the harsh geographical conditions of the Himalayas.

Powerful Leveling Technology for Paving True to Line and Level

To ensure true to grade and slope paving of the three layers, the paving team took advantage of the Niveltronic Plus system for automated grade and slope control from Vögele. This fully integrated system is tailored to the machine technology of the SUPER pavers and offers a field-proven selection of sensors for every situation on construction sites. A cross slope sensor and a height sensor were used in the rough terrain of the Zoji-La road construction project with its many bends and uphill and downhill gradients. In combination with the cross slope, the measured height on one side of the screed delivers consistently accurate paving results, true to grade and slope, across the entire working width. This meant that the road level could be maintained at all times, despite the numerous bends.