After March 15 commuters on Jammu-Srinagar national highway will get a big relief [Here's How]

Those who travel on Jammu-Srinagar national highway are going to get a big relief as a tunnel- to bypass the most problematic stretch at Panthyal in Ramban district, is going to be operational by March 15.

The Jammu-Srinagar highway — a vital surface link between Kashmir and the rest of the world — was closed due to heavy landslides that resulted in the stranding of several thousand passengers and vehicles only due to land sliding at Panthayal.

"The work on Tunnel T-5 to bypass Panthyal on NH-44 has been accelerated so that it becomes operational by March 15, 2023. Countdown begins", Deputy Commissioner Ramban Mussarat Islam tweeted on Wednesday.

While the condition of the stretch beyond Ramban is deplorable, the 36-kilometer Ramban-Banihal track has turned into a bottleneck - witnessing tragic road accidents almost regularly.

Due to the sinking of patches and massive landslides after repeated intervals, this highway has become "unpredictable" The condition of the road has gone from bad to worse due to ongoing widening work. The recent rains and flash floods have further compounded the situation.

One thinks twice or thrice when he/ she intends to undertake a road journey from Jammu to Srinagar. No side protection walls, strong steel grills/ steel nets, etc have been raised to the vulnerable places for the safety of the vehicles and the passengers passing through dangerous/ sliding zones in this sector.

For the last about one week, this highway has remained disrupted for the movement of traffic for about 6 to 9 hours a day. The regular long traffic jams have made the life of people/ road users miserable these days.

 Stretch at Panthyal is most problematic on Jammu-Srinagar national highway
The stretch at Panthyal is the most problematic one on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway because of the regular shooting stones.

Now the authorities have promised to make the tunnel operational by March 15. It would put an end to the problem of shooting stones and subsequent disruptions in traffic movement.

According to reports as a part of the realignment package between Ramban and Banihal, three tunnels ranging from 400 metres to 800 metres were to be constructed to bypass critical stretches on the highway. The tunnel is not going to reduce the distance, it will completely bypass the problematic Panthyal stretch.

Apart from T5 tunnel, the NHAI will also come up with two tubes of 16.6km length between Ramban and Digdol (up to Sher Bibi) and then connect it with a viaduct with the Banihal expressway.