One of the two tubes of the Jawahar tunnel on the Srinagar-Jammu highway was closed today after it developed cracks, officials said.
The tube was damaged after rocks fell into the tunnel complex through its service and air vents, the said, adding that vehicles were allowed to move through the tunnel’s other tube.
The highway is the only all-weather road, which connects Kashmir with rest of the world.
“The repair work will take some time and, therefore, people have been requested to undertake their journey only after confirming the status of the road,” an official of the Traffic department said.
He said that following the tube’s closure, a number of vehicles got stranded between the Banihal and Qazigund sectors.
The tunnel was constructed in the 1950’s for round-the-year surface transport and has been operational since December 1956. The tunnel was renovated by the Border Roads Organization several times over the past decades to ensure it stays open. PTI