Both tubes of Jawahar Tunnel made functional

Srinagar, July 11 (IANS) Both tubes of the Jawahar Tunnel on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway were made functional on Wednesday, decongesting traffic on the vital road link between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country.

One of the two tubes of this tunnel had to be closed on Tuesday after seepage caused loose rocks to fall inside the tunnel.

Traffic was routed through the other functional tube after closing the one that had been declared unsafe for traffic.

This caused a lot of traffic congestion on the busy highway as both incoming and outgoing traffic had to be routed alternately through one tube only.

The Border Roads Organization (BRO) and a private firm, Navyug Engineering completed the repair job and made the tube functional on Wednesday afternoon.

The private firm is presently working on another road tunnel that would link the Valley with the Jammu region.

The Jawahar Tunnel across the Pir Panchal Mountain range named after the country's first Prime Minister was constructed between 1954 and 1960.

All the essential supplies to the landlocked Valley and the Amarnath Yatra pilgrims pass through this vital artery to reach the Valley.