The Jammu Ring Road project is likely to meet its December 2021 deadline despite the suspension of work for over three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic, an official said on Friday.
The first phase of the road project was inaugurated by Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha on Friday.
The agency constructing the road has already mobilised its workforce and machinery, the official said.
The first phase of the project was proposed to be inaugurated by March but the emergence of a challenging situation due to the Covid-19 pandemic forced suspension of work for over three months, he said.
The official, however, said that the construction agency, Messrs Gayatri-KMB-JV, resumed work on the project in June and has engaged additional manpower besides ensuring double shifts to make up for lost time.
The foundation stone for the over 58-km road project was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2018 and it will connect Raya Morh in Samba district to Jagati on National Highway (NH)-44.
"Efforts are being made to complete the remaining work (on Phase-1) in two months to bringing the project back on the original completion schedule for the remaining five phases; and completing the entire Jammu Ring Road project by December 2021," he said.
The official said that the completion of the eight-km first phase would minimise traffic congestion on the Akhnoor Road, the Kangrail Road and Beda Morh by connecting Bhalwal to the Akhnoor Road on NH–144A, besides other interior roads.
The phase has one major bridge, six minor bridges, 22 culverts, three major crossings, a six-kilometre rigid pavement and a two-km flexible pavement, besides plantation, he said.
The four-laning standalone ring road under the National Highway Development Project starts at Raya Morh in Samba district and ends at Jagati on NH-44 covering 58.255 km after passing through villages like Sarore, Bishnah, R S Pura, Marh, Ghomanasa, Akhnoor, Bhalwal, the official said.
The bypass around Jammu city has been planned keeping in view the increase in population in and around it and increase in the number of vehicles, he said.
Traffic congestion has been further aggravated with frequent movement of security forces to border areas of Poonch, Rajouri, Nowshera, Akhnoor and other areas through the busy roads of Jammu city, according to the official.
The entire project includes the construction of eight major bridges, 31 minor bridges, four viaducts, six flyovers, two interchanges, 219 culverts, one vehicular underpass, 15 pedestrian and cattle passes, 22 bus bays, six truck lay byes, two tunnels, 14.46-km of services roads and a toll plaza, he said.
The ring road will cover a total of 60 villages, 54 in Jammu district and six in Samba district, the official said.
The road will have 47.34-km of rigid pavement and 10.98-km of flexible pavement besides avenue plantation and median plantation, he said.