Ramban: The Srinagar-Jammu National Highway reopened after remaining blocked for several hours for every type of vehicular traffic at Shalgari, Sherbibi area of Banihal on Wednesday afternoon.
Traffic authorities said that the highway was restored for stranded traffic Wednesday afternoon at 3:50 pm after remaining blocked for 36 straight hours at Shalgari, Sherbibi area of Banihal.
They said that during the last 24 hours up to 5 pm on Wednesday, the highway remained blocked for 22 hours and 50 minutes due to landslides and shooting stones at Shalgari, Sherbibi area of Banihal.
The traffic authorities said that up to 5 pm on Tuesday, the highway remained blocked for 13 hours and 50 minutes due to landslides and shooting stones at Shalgari Sherbibi and for 2 hours and 30 minutes due to the closure of the Chenani-Nashri Tunnel.
They said that the stranded traffic between Nashri and Banihal was being cleared on priority.
The traffic authorities said that the highway got blocked after a massive landslide blocked the road at a four-lane construction site in the Shalgari area of Banihal at 2 am on Tuesday following which authorities suspended every type of vehicular movement on the highway.
They said that due to the road blockade, hundreds of Light Motor Vehicles (LMVs) remained stranded between Ramban and Banihal and at various other locations till the concerned road maintenance agency of NHAI cleared the debris from the road at Shalgari.
The traffic authorities said LMVs stranded on both sides of the highway were cleared on priority.
They said stranded Heavy Motor Vehicles (HMvs) between Banihal-Ramban were also allowed to move toward Kashmir.
Earlier, the road restoration work was hampered after intervals due to intermittent landslides and rolling stones at Shagari.
However, it was restored Wednesday afternoon.