Ramban, Sep 11: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained partially open on Thursday for stranded traffic, stuck for several days at different locations between Srinagar and Jammu due to landslides and extensive damage to a 250-meter road stretch at Tharad in Udhampur district.
Official sources said traffic was being regulated on a rotational basis at Tharad between Chenani and Udhampur.
In the morning, Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) were allowed to cross the landslide-affected stretch, while road restoration and traffic management continued simultaneously.
Later in the day, hundreds of heavy vehicles carrying essential supplies were allowed to move towards Kashmir from Udhampur.
In the evening, apple-laden trucks stranded for the past 16 days at Qazigund in south Kashmir were also permitted to move towards Jammu.
Authorities confirmed that the highway had not yet been fully restored at Tharad.
Earlier, vehicle operators faced difficulties due to slippery conditions on the unpaved diversion stretch prepared for temporary traffic movement.
Due to the single-lane passage, congestion continued at several points along the highway.
On Thursday morning, traffic authorities said the highway had not been fully restored at Tharad, due to which only one-way traffic movement of LMVs and heavy vehicles was allowed.
They advised commuters not to travel against the issued advisory and follow lane discipline, and said overtaking would cause congestion.
The traffic authorities advised to check the status of the road on the Traffic Control Units (TCUs) of Srinagar, Jammu, Udhampur, and Ramban and on the X handle and Facebook page of J&K Traffic Police before undertaking journeys on the highway.
Drivers and vehicle operators late Thursday evening said that a large number of vehicles were still stuck in congestion in the Udhampur area.
Meanwhile, a commuter, Advocate Khursheed Wani, who started his journey from Banihal towards Jammu at 7 am, said he reached Nashri by 8 am, where traffic was halted by the Police.
He said that one tube of the Chenani-Udhampur stretch had sunk with huge cracks, rendering it unsafe, while traffic was being diverted through a narrow, muddy track.
Wani said continuous landslides and repair works were causing long delays and increasing risks.
He advised the public to travel only in case of emergency, cautioning that the Chenani-Udhampur stretch was unsafe for smooth movement and may result in prolonged halts.
