Nowshera Tunnel work set to be completed by March 31

Rajouri, Mar 6: Around 750 meters long Nowshera tunnel, part of the Jammu- Rajouri- Poonch National Highway, is set to be completed by March 31 and the executive agency will hand over the tunnel to Border Roads Organisation (BRO).

The strategic Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway, also known as NH-144A, is undergoing a major upgrade under the aegis of the BRO of the Ministry of Defence. The highway from Jammu to Akhnoor is being built as four lane highway while stretch from Akhnoor to Poonch is being built as two lane with paved shoulders highway.

This vital highway, which connects the districts of Rajouri and Poonch with Jammu, serves as a critical surface connectivity link for various defence establishments and Line of Control (LoC) locations in these border districts. Officials said that as part of the upgradation project, a two-lane highway with paved shoulders is being constructed from Akhnoor to Poonch via Rajouri and this project stretch has been divided into six phases.

They said that in this stretch, the project also includes the construction of four tunnels that include Kandi Tunnel, Sungal Tunnel, Nowshera Tunnel and Bhimber Gali Tunnel. The Nowshera tunnel, being built near border town Nowshera, is nearing completion with private firm executing the project is expected to hand over the tunnel to BRO by March 31. The 700-meter-long Nowshera tunnel is being built with advanced features, including a special fire-resistant paint to prevent fire spread inside the tunnel, said Engineers of private firm.

They said that the special fire resistant paint is part of an advanced technology as the paint acts as fire resistant thus reducing chances of blaze. “We will complete this final work in next few days after which the tunnel will be handed over BRO and the last expected date for this handover is 31 March,” the engineers said.

Once completed, the tunnel will reduce the journey distance between Jammu, Rajouri, and Poonch by approximately six kilometers. However, officials said, this tunnel will not be put to use immediately after handover to BRO as the approach road of tunnel from Southern end is still pending and will take a few weeks.

“We expect general opening of the tunnel for common traffic by next two months,” the officials further informed. Pertinent to mention here that the upgradation of the Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch national highway is expected to significantly improve connectivity and facilitate the movement of troops and equipment in the region.