Two major traffic bottlenecks on the Mandi-Kullu route to Manali have eased from Friday with the opening of the Dyod and Hanogi tunnels on the Kirathpur-Manali four-lane National Highway.
The 2.8-km Dyod tunnel and the 650-metre Hanogi tunnel are located on the Pandoh-Takoli section of NH-3, a key stretch connecting Mandi with Kullu and onward to Manali. The tunnels are expected to reduce delays on a route that frequently sees heavy traffic, particularly during the tourist season.
“A major boost to connectivity in Himachal Pradesh. Two major tunnels at Dyod and Hanogi are being opened to traffic on September 11, 2026, marking a significant transformation in connectivity on the Pandoh-Takoli section of NH-3,” said Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari in a post on X on Thursday.
Why the Mandi-Kullu route faces traffic bottlenecks
The Pandoh-Takoli stretch has remained a critical part of the road journey towards Kullu and Manali. Traffic congestion has been particularly severe around locations including the Jogni Mata Temple, Dyod and Hanogi, where travellers could face delays of one to two hours during busy periods.
The route carries both local traffic and a large volume of tourist movement towards Kullu-Manali. It also forms part of the broader road corridor towards Leh-Ladakh, making smoother movement through the stretch important for travellers beyond the immediate Mandi-Kullu route.
The new tunnels bypass two locations where traffic movement has been constrained, reducing the road section affected by these bottlenecks from around 6 km to about 3.5 km.
What changes after Dyod and Hanogi tunnels open
The opening of the tunnels removes two difficult points from the existing route. Vehicles can now use the new tunnels instead of negotiating the earlier stretches around Dyod and Hanogi.
The Mandi-Kullu journey is expected to take around an hour. For travellers continuing towards Manali, the reduction in congestion could make journey times more predictable, particularly during periods of high tourist movement.
The impact also extends to the wider Kirathpur-Manali Highway corridor. The project is aimed at improving connectivity through mountainous terrain, where traffic movement can be particularly challenging during peak tourist periods.
For travellers, the significance of the two tunnels goes beyond saving time at individual locations. By removing recurring congestion points, the new infrastructure is expected to make the Mandi-Kullu-Manali road journey more reliable and reduce disruption caused by seasonal traffic surges.