Tunnel of Salang

The tunnel of Salang is a road Tunnel of Afghanistan. It is the principal bond between the capital Kabul and the north of the country.

Features

The tunnel measures: 2700 meters length. Its ends are respectively with the altitude of: 3360 m and: 3363 m what makes of it the third higher road tunnel in the world currently in service. The width and the height of the single tube are of 7 meters. The traffic would currently be of approximately: 1000 vehicles per day.

History

Circulation between the north and the south of the country is made very problematic by the chain of the Hindou Kouch, to which the collars are often close to: 4000 meters of altitude and closed during the winter. In 1955 the Soviet, eager to support transport between their territory and the Afghan capital Kabul, sign with the Afghan government an agreement aiming at improving the old road of the collar of Salang between the provinces of Baghlân and Parwân. The tunnel is open in 1964 and allows a circulation between north and the south all the year as well as a considerable time-saver between Kabul and the cities of north like Pol-e Khomri or Mazar-e-Charif. The trucks of goods which were to circumvent before the mountains via Hérat see their way passing from 72 hours to less than 10 a.m.

At the time of the war of Afghanistan, the tunnel becomes strategically impossible to circumvent for the Red Army and of this fact the road and the surroundings of the tunnel are frequently attacked by the moujahidin. November 3rd, 1982 occurs one of the greatest tragedies of the war of Afghanistan, when a gasoline truck explodes in the passing of a Soviet military convoy in obscure circumstances. The assessment is him also little clearly, of 176 (64 Soviet soldiers and 112 Afghan according to the official results) with: 3000 died according to recent estimates what would do of them one of the most fatal fires of the 20th century.

Following the departure of the Soviets, the state of the tunnel is degraded. After the catch of Kabul in 1996 the Taliban S make a top priority of it and before the end of the year 1997 the southern entry of the tunnel, lighting and the ventilation system are destroyed by the troops of Alliance of North during their retirement. The tunnel is then practicable only with foot and in the darkness.

Following an important restoration, the tunnel is reopened with the cars and trucks on January 19th, 2002. It is again blocked less than one month later by Avalanche S at its two ends, forcing hundreds of people to pass there for some 5 days under very difficult conditions, at least 5 losing the life there. In winter, the road remains still today very dangerous and prone to the avalanches. Several people have still to spend the night there on March 18th, 2007.

References

Random links: