Srinagar, Mar 15: The National Authority of India (NHAI) on Wednesday said that pavement quality concrete work has been started in the 925-meter-long Tunnel T1 from Peerah to Kunfer in Udhampur along the Srinagar-Jammu highway and it will be likely commissioned by March 31.
NHAI spokesman said Pavement Quality Concrete work has started in the 925-meter-long Tunnel T1 from Peerah to Kunfer in the Udhampur-Ramban section of NH-44 in J&K. The tunnel will reduce the distance of this section by 2.98 km and is expected to be commissioned by March 31, he said.
The spokesman said it will be a major relief for the commuters on Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, soon people would be able to bypass the Panthyal stretch in Ramban district, a point highly prone to shooting stones.
The four-lane project of the 270-km highway, the only all-weather road linking Kashmir with the rest of the country, started in 2011.Three tunnels ranging in length from 400 to 800 metres were to be built as part of the realignment package between Ramban and Banihal to bypass crucial stretches of the route.
The twin tunnels will not only reduce the travel time of commuters, but will also completely bypass the difficult landslides and shooting stone prone areas along the stretch, officials said.
Deputy Commissioner, Ramban, Mussarat Islam said all the projects on Jammu Srinagar national highway will be completed by stipulated time frame. “Work on the 800-meter T-5 Tunnel to bypass Panthyal stretch, which is vulnerable to shooting stones on highway, has been accelerated so that it becomes operational soon, he said.
Another official said Kunfer tunnel is also expected to be completed by March 31, besides double lane of Ramban flyover and Banihal bypass to be completed by April 15 this year. All these tunnels are a part of the highway realignment project, which would put an end to the ghost of shooting stones and disruption of traffic, he said.
