Ramban, Feb 3: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway reopened for two-way traffic of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) and heavy vehicles on Saturday.
However, traffic authorities said that due to the single lane at Kishtwari Pathar and Sherbibi and the slippery road conditions at several places, the commuters were advised to follow lane discipline and drive cautiously.
The only surface link, connecting Kashmir with other parts of the country, was closed due to snowfall on both sides of the Banihal-Qazigund (Navyug) tunnel and mudslides on the Mehar-Cafeteria and shooting stones at several places besides a caved portion of road stretch at Kishtwari Pattar and Sherbibi area between Nashri and Banihal sector on Thursday morning.
However, after a slight improvement in the weather on Friday, the concerned agencies of NHAI cleared the accumulated snow, landslides and stones and prepared a single-lane road in Sherbibi by pressing their men and machinery into service.
The highway was partially restored for stranded traffic on Friday afternoon.
Officials said that after clearing stranded traffic between Qazigund and Udhampur on Friday night, vehicular traffic on both sides was allowed to move on the Srinagar Jammu National Highway on Saturday morning.
The officials monitoring the regulation of traffic on the highway in Ramban said that scores of LMVs and heavy vehicles had crossed the Nashri-Banihal stretch for their respective destinations in Kashmir and Jammu till Saturday evening.
However, they said that traffic movement remained slow due to slippery road conditions at Dalwass, Mehar-Cafeteria and various other places and the single-lane road stretch at Kishtwari Pattar and Sherbibi between Nashri and Banihal segment on Saturday.
Meanwhile, rains again lashed isolated places between Nashri and Banihal, however, the highway was open and vehicles were heading towards their respective destinations, although at a slow pace.
Officials at TCU, Ramban said, “The highway is open. Subject to fair weather and good road conditions, LMVs and heavy vehicles will be allowed to move on either side of the Srinagar Jammu National Highway on Sunday.”
“People are advised to undertake journeys on the highway only after confirming the status of roads from TCU Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, and Ramban on Sunday morning,” they said.