The deadline for completion of the 13 km-long Zojila Tunnel, the longest of its kind in Asia and at the highest altitude, has been pushed back to December 2030 due to difficulties posed by weather and terrain. The tunnel project, running through the Zojila Pass at an altitude of 11,578 feet on the Srinagar-Kargil-Leh National Highway, is of strategic importance as highway closures during winter due to snowfall cut off the Ladakh region from Kashmir.