Work on Four Tunnels Near Jagti in Progress
Major relief from city traffic jams expected after June 2026
JAMMU, Jan 18: With the commissioning of the Rs 2,674 crore Jammu Ring Road project by June next year, the winter capital is expected to get major relief from persistent traffic congestion.
The nearly 56-km-long highway, a mix of six-lane and four-lane stretches, starts from Raya Morh in Samba district and connects National Highway-44 near Jagti in Nagrota, around 14 km ahead of Jammu on the Katra–Srinagar highway. More than 60 per cent of vehicles travelling from Lakhanpur, Kathua and Samba towards Kashmir, Katra Mata Vaishno Devi, Doda-Kishtwar and Rajouri-Poonch are expected to use the Ring Road, significantly reducing traffic pressure on Jammu city roads.
Not only heavy vehicles and load carriers, but medium and light vehicles are also expected to prefer this route while travelling beyond Jammu.
Official sources said the project work began in 2018 with a completion target of three years set by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). However, the project could not be completed even after seven years. The main Ring Road construction was awarded to M/s Gayatri Constructions, while the construction of two twin tunnels (four tunnels in total) of a combined length of 3.1 km is being executed by M/s Bharat Constructions at a cost of Rs 650 crore.
Sources said delays occurred due to land acquisition issues, the COVID-19 lockdown and technical problems during tunnelling near Jagti, where falling muck and loose rocks were encountered inside one of the longer tunnels measuring 780 metres. The second twin tunnel is around 700 metres long. The executing agency later resolved the issue with the help of external experts.
Project Director, NHAI Jammu, Rajiv Kumar said nearly 95 per cent of the work on the Jammu Ring Road from Raya Morh to Jagti near IIM Nagrota has been completed, with only about 5 km of work remaining near Jagti.
He said two tunnels are almost complete, with only approach roads pending. A third tunnel is expected to be completed by June this year, while the remaining tunnel, where technical issues were faced earlier, is likely to be completed by August or September 2026.
The Project Director said Bharat Constructions has been allotted tunnel works worth Rs 650 crore and is expecting savings of nearly Rs 200 crore. He added that although the initial project cost was Rs 2,024 crore, it later escalated due to delays and revised estimates.
Kumar further disclosed that an Automatic Traffic Management System (ATMS) is being installed on the Ring Road to monitor speed limits and other traffic violations.
Explaining the delay, he said the project was affected by the COVID lockdown in 2019, prolonged land acquisition processes and tunnelling difficulties due to loose soil conditions in one of the tunnels, which have now been resolved.
He said that once commissioned, the Ring Road is expected to reduce city traffic volume by nearly 60–65 per cent. Vehicles heading towards Kashmir, Rajouri-Poonch, Katra Mata Vaishno Devi and Akhnoor-Khour will largely divert to this road. Traffic pressure on city roads is also expected to reduce further with the completion of the Delhi–Amritsar–Katra Expressway.
“With the commissioning of these major road projects, Jammu city will get significant relief from traffic congestion,” the Project Director added. (Agencies)
