Jammu-Srinagar National Highway Partially Opened For Traffic; Stranded Vehicles Being Cleared

Jammu: The 270-km strategic Jammu-Srinagar national highway was opened for one-way traffic on Wednesday afternoon after remaining closed for the past two days due to multiple landslides in Ramban district, officials of the traffic department said. The highway was closed for vehicular traffic on Monday morning after landslides and shooting of stones from the hillocks hit the highway, the only all weather road linking Kashmir with rest of the country, at over a dozen places, they said.
The officials said the operations to clear the debris from the arterial road at Dalwas, Peerha, near Peerha Tunnel, Mehad-Cafeteria, Jaiswal bridge, Trishul Morh, Seri, T2, Monkey Morh, Mom Passi, Gangroo, Hingni Marog, Kishtwari Pather, Shalghari Rampari, Tabela and Chamalwas were hampered by incessant rains and snowfall.
With improvement in weather this morning, the concerned road clearance agencies mobilized more men and machines and managed to partially open the highway for one-way traffic this afternoon, paving the way for clearance of the stranded vehicles between Nashi and Banihal, they said.
The officials said the clearance operation was going on and the road is likely to be made trafficable for both ways by tonight.
Fresh traffic from both sides will be allowed on Thursday morning after a fresh review of the road condition, they said.