According to officials, on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway, the T5 tunnel, which avoids the landslide-prone Panthyal section, was opened for traffic. In February 2020, construction began on the 880-metre twin-tube tunnel, a component of the highway realignment project. With its completion, the menace of stone-pelting has ended, he said.
Over the years, a temporary iron and steel tunnel on the crucial section provided some respite to people traveling on the highway. But the Rolling Stones continued to obstruct the smooth functioning of the traffic.
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Ramban Deputy Commissioner Musarrat Islam said, “The T5 tunnel at Panthyal has been opened for two-way traffic, which will now run smoothly without the fear of falling rocks.”
The only all-weather road connecting Kashmir to the rest of the country, the four-laning project of the 270-km-long highway was commissioned by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) in 2011.
The work, which includes several minor and major tunnels, bridges and flyovers, is likely to be completed by next year after missing several deadlines over the past decade.
T5 was the fourth tunnel dedicated to the public by NHAI in the last one year, while several other smaller tunnels and bridges are nearing completion, which will bypass other important places on the highway, making travel comfortable by July-end.
“The Ramban flyover, which will bypass Ramban market, is expected to open by April 15, the Jaishwal bridge near Karol by March 31, and the 873-metre-long Kunfer tunnel between Peeda and Chanderkote by next month,” Islam said. The official said that after the completion of these projects, the traffic congestion on the highway will be reduced.
with PTI inputs