BRO concretizing Zojila tunnel on Srinagar-Leh highway

The Border Roads Organization has decided to concretize the Zojila tunnel section of the Srinagar-Leh national highway for easy passage of small and heavy vehicles and protect the strategic road that is vulnerable to landslides due to heavy snow and rainfall. As the stretch is located at a very high altitude, the concrete blocks will provide friction and will withstand freezing cold and icy surfaces, said Director, Works Project Beacon, Col Mukesh Bhanwala. The block laying is a fine replacement for black topping, which is not possible at such unfavorable spots as up till now nearly 3-km stretch of the upper alignment of the Zojila Pass has been completely paved with interlocking concrete blocks‖ on which vehicles can move smoothly. The plan is to lay concrete blocks for about 6 km of the Pass and the remaining portion of work will be completed shortly. Zojila Pass, at a height of 11,516 feet above sea level, connects the picturesque Kashmir valley with the cold Indus Valley desert through the 434-km-long Srinagar-Leh road.