Bhubaneswar, May 22 -- National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) today achieved a milestone in the construction of ambitious 3.42 Km-long and 3-lane twin tunnel project's Tube 2 on Raipur-Visakhapatnam Expressway. This is the first highway tunnel breakthrough in Odisha's Koraput district, said the NHAI.

According to an official source, NHAI had to excavate around 750 metres of the tunnel in a month and complete nearly 36.8 metres face excavation in a single day from four faces, thereby creating a new national record for achieving this significant feat in tunnel construction.

Taking to its official 'X' handle, the NHAI wrote, "Demonstrating commitment towards safety, zero injury time was reported during the 31.5 lakh man-hours of work ...