Udhampur, Jul 31 (KNO): The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Friday said restoration work on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was delayed due to inclement weather and the fall of two massive boulders at Dewal in Udhampur district.
Shubham Yadav, NHAI Project Director, told the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) that the boulders struck the highway, making their removal time-consuming and affecting the restoration work.
"The highway is expected to be restored to a two-lane surface by around 11 pm today. We have deployed 10 machines at the site, and work is going on at full pace," he said.
Yadav said authorities had declared Friday a "traffic dry day" to facilitate debris clearance and widening work at the Dewal Bridge stretch, which had become a major bottleneck.
"Although two-lane traffic was being maintained earlier, the road surface had deteriorated and become uneven, affecting the smooth movement of vehicles. The widening work is aimed at improving the surface and increasing the traffic carrying capacity to prevent congestion," he said.
Yadav added that maximum resources have been deployed at the site and the restoration work is being carried out on a war footing.
"We are hopeful that the widening work will be completed by this evening, ensuring smooth movement of both Amarnath Yatra convoys and normal traffic," he said—(KNO)