In 5 yrs, all-weather road from Jammu to Valley

NEW DELHI: In five years' time, the Jammu-Srinagar highway is likely remain open even in case of heavy snowfall or avalanches. The NHAI has awarded work of constructing two tunnels of 9km to make the stretch an all-weather highway. NHAI officials said that the entire mountainous stretch of NH-1A from 189.350km to 220km is geo-dynamically active which results in frequent slope failure, rock falls and avalanches. On an average, the road remains closed for over 40 days in a year due to periodic maintenance work.

The construction of two tunnels would make the road usable throughout the year. This will also reduce the distance between Banihal and Srinagar by about 16 km, said a senior NHAI official.

He claimed that as per estimates, the Rs 1,987-crore project will help save about Rs 27 crore per year on account of vehicle operation cost. Besides, travel time will also be reduced by about two hours.