Dharamshala, Sept. 11 -- In a major boost to connectivity in Himachal Pradesh, two tunnels at Dayod and Hanogi on the Kiratpur-Manali highway in Mandi district are scheduled to be opened for traffic on Friday (September 11). Union road transport and highways minister, Nitin Gadkari, who announced this in a social media post on Thursday, termed it a significant transformation in connectivity along the Pandoh-Takoli section of National Highway (NH-03), a key route connecting Mandi with Kullu-Manali and onwards towards Leh-Ladakh. The 2.8-km Dayod Tunnel (T4-01) and 650-metre Hanogi Tunnel (T4-02) will ease two of the most critical bottlenecks on the route to Kullu-Manali and onward towards Leh-Ladakh. The tunnels will reduce the affected road stretch from 6 km to 3.5 km and provide relief from prolonged congestion at Jogni Mata Mandir, Dayod and Hanogi, where traffic during peak tourist season can face delays of 1-2 hours or more. The opening of the tunnels is expected to provide much-needed relief to commuters and tourists facing frequent traffic jams in the Pandoh section of Mandi district. It will also reduce the travel time between Mandi and Kullu. "As part of the Rs.4,465.94-crore four-laning project of the End of Pandoh Bypass-Takoli section of NH-21, the 18.908-km corridor is being executed under the Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM). With improved traffic flow, the journey from Mandi to Kullu is expected to come down from around 2 hours to approximately 60 minutes, under normal traffic conditions," the Union minister wrote in a post on X.National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) member (projects) Vipnesh Sharma inspected the tunnels on Monday and said that they will be opened for traffic following a trial run. Five twin-tube tunnels are being constructed under the Pandoh-Takoli project. "Two tunnels between Dayod and Hanogi form the entry point of the project. The longer tunnel is 2.8 km long, while the other is 650 metres long," he said. A 45-metre-high and 140-metre-long bridge has also been constructed near Khotinalla to connect the two tunnels....