After the successful completion of the trial run of the 40 ton Bailey bridge, completed within 60 hours by the men and machinery of the Border Roads Organisation, the traffic on the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was restored late Saturday afternoon to clear the rush of stranded vehicles in Ramban district.
The vehicular traffic on the 270 Km NH44 between Jammu and Srinagar was suspended on January 10 due to the sinking of a retention wall and about 15 Mt road stretch near a bridge at Kaila Morh in Ramban.
According to the Chief Engineer, Border Roads Organisation, Brigadier I K Jaggi, the Bridge was put to trial at 2.45 PM and traffic was allowed to pass in a regulated manner after giving some final touches and verification.
The 40 ton Bailey bridge was constructed by Border Roads Origination (BRO) team headed by Brigadier IK Jaggi, along with Commandant, 760 Border Roads Task Force (BRTF), N K Dixit and OC, 99 RCC (Road Construction Company), GREF, Lt Colonel Varun Khera.
Brig. Jaggi said that the bridge was raised within 60 hours, well ahead of the 72 hour deadline set by NHAI. “All of us, Commandant, Dixit and OC, Khera and me stayed at the site to supervise the work day and night. The material for Bailey bridge was brought from different parts of Kashmir and Kishtwar district in as many as 30 trucks” he added.
ADGP Traffic J&K, T. Namgyal; DC Ramban, Nazim Zai Khan; SSP Traffic JS Johar; ADC , Ramban, Harbans Lal, ASP Rajni Sharma, PD NHA1, Parshotam Kumar also visited the spot.
The DC Ramban lauded the efforts of BRO for erecting the Bailey bridge in a record time to restore the National Highway –the only all weather supply line to Kashmir.
Meanwhile, the traffic authorities said that only stranded vehicles followed by Srinagar bound vehicles carrying essential commodities were allowed in the evening.