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Jammu-Srinagar NH: Construction halted as tunnel develops bulges
A senior official of the NHAI said that they observed the bulges and pressure on side walls of the tunnel about a week ago
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) temporary suspended work after pressure and bulges appeared inside an under-construction tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar national highway (NH 44), officials said on Saturday.
A senior official of the NHAI said that they observed the bulges and pressure on side walls of the tunnel about a week ago. “Around 150 metre of the stretch has developed pressure and bulges on the side walls,” the official added. As a result, the work has been suspended for the past one week, he added.
The official said that men and machinery have been removed from the tunnel. Out of a total of 800 metres, the NHAI has excavated around 400 metres so far.
The tunnel is being constructed at Mehar in Ramban district to bypass a landslide prone, Cafeteria Morh. The work started around a year and a half ago.
“The pressure and bulges have stopped increasing further. The issue is being investigated by the experts and designers,” the official said.
The official added that no cracks had appeared on the affected stretch. “The work has been temporarily suspended as a precautionary measure, and not abandoned,” he said.
The excavation work was started at either portals (P1 and P2) of the hill in Mehar where landslides, mudslides and slush frequently block the highway. The work on portal 2 remains suspended since June this year.
The fragile Himalayan hills in Jammu and Kashmir, that fall in seismic zone four and five pose a challenge to the construction companies executing road and rail projects in the region.
In May last year, an under-construction tunnel had collapsed near Khooni nallah in Ramban district, killing 10 workers.
The 270km Jammu-Srinagar national highway is the only all weather surface link that connects Kashmir with outside world.
