BRO builds world’s highest motorable road at 19,300 ft in Ladakh

06 Aug 2021 CW Team

The Border Roads Organisation (BRO) has constructed the world’s highest motorable road at 19,300 feet at Umlingla Pass in Eastern Ladakh.

The altitude of this road is higher than the Mount Everest base camps. The south base camp is situated at an altitude of 17,598 feet in Nepal, while the north base camp is at 16,900 feet in Tibet.

The Ministry of Defence told the media that BRO has constructed a tarmac road of length 52 km through Umlingla Pass, surpassing the previous record held by Bolivia connecting to its volcano Uturuncu at 18,953 ft. Most large commercial aircraft fly at 30,000 feet and above, so this road is at an altitude over half of that, to put this altitude in a different perspective.

The ministry added that the motorable road through Umlingla Pass in Ladakh joins the major towns in the Chumar sector of Eastern Ladakh. It will improve the socio-economic condition and boost tourism in Ladakh.

During winters, the BRO has faced challenges due to the harsh weather conditions with the temperature dipping to -40 degrees and altitude and oxygen levels 50% less than at normal places, the Ministry said.

The BRO has achieved the new record due to the courage and resilience of its workers who work in treacherous terrain and extreme weather conditions, said the ministry.

The road has been developed much above the Siachen Glacier altitude, which is at 17,700 ft. The Khardung La Pass is at an altitude of 17,582 ft in Leh.

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Also read: BRO develops 63 bridges in border areas of six states and two UTs

Also read: India launches 12 roads built by BRO in northern, eastern borders

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