Ramban, Apr 18: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway remained open for two-way traffic but traffic movement remained extremely slow due to single lane and narrow Mehar-Cafeteria road stretch on Friday.
Traffic authorities monitoring the regulation of traffic in Ramban said that despite slow traffic movement, hundreds of Light Motor Vehicles and heavy vehicles crossed the Chenani-Nashri and Banihal-Qazigund tunnels towards their respective destinations.
However, they said that the traffic movement remained slow due to single-lane road stretches at Dalwass, Mehar-Cafeteria, and other locations.
They said that the traffic movement remained slow due to on foot movement of nomads with their livestock and the breakdown of a few heavy vehicles besides the ongoing four-lane construction work at different locations between Nashri and Banihal.
Officials at the Traffic Control Unit (TCU) Ramban late Friday evening said that the highway was open for two-way traffic.
They said subject to fair weather and better road conditions, passenger LMVs and heavy vehicles would be allowed to ply on either side of the highway on Saturday.
They advised the people to confirm the status of the road before undertaking journeys from TCU Srinagar, TCU Jammu, TCU Udhampur, and TCU Ramban.
They advised the passengers and LMV operators to undertake journeys on the highway during the daytime and that there was an apprehension of shooting stones between the Ramban and Banihal sectors.
Meanwhile, traffic congestion is prevalent between Chanderkote and Ramban due to the single-lane road stretch on Mehar-Cafeteria.
Traffic Police with the help of Police are busy clearing traffic on a one-way basis at Mehar and Cafeteria where around 200 meters of road stretch is narrow and single lane.
The commuters and vehicle operators have to face long traffic jams due to the single-lane road stretch on the Mehar-Cafeteria road stretch since February 2025.
Following rain, some portions of the Mehar-Cafeteria road stretch were damaged.
Although the sub-contractor company of the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) has allotted road repair work to a contractor, the work is going at a snail’s pace.
Locals of Ramban said that despite the realignment of the Mehar-Cafeteria stretch, NHIA and Project Installation Unit Ramban had failed to construct a tunnel.
The traffic authorities said around 200 meters of road stretch on Mehar-Cafeteria was single lane and traffic was being managed in a regulated manner along the stretch.
Traffic is being allowed to cross on a one-way basis which is causing traffic congestion as a result of which commuters, students, and patients are suffering as they, at times, have to wait for hours to cross this stretch.
