India's Srinagar Ring Road Phase I 46-Kilometer Section Aims for Traffic Opening by End of December

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 26, Anshul Garg, the Divisional Commissioner of Kashmir, India, conducted an on-site inspection of the Galander–Narbal section of Phase I of the Srinagar Ring Road. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has set the end of December 2026 as the internal completion target for this section and has required the construction contractor to increase personnel input and accelerate the advancement of remaining works, striving to make the section traffic-ready before the end of the year. The on-site inspection length of this Phase I section is approximately 46 kilometers.

At present, Phase I has completed 143 culverts, 23 minor bridges, 3 major bridges, 18 light vehicle underpasses, 2 interchange-type interchanges, 6 overpasses, 12 inverted siphons, and 107 pipe culverts. The remaining on-site work mainly includes relocation and modification of transmission towers, some underpass facilities, bridge load tests, and connection works along the route. NHAI has been required to coordinate with relevant departments to simultaneously address the nodes affecting construction progress.

The matters related to land acquisition compensation and public utility relocation for the project have basically been completed, and the relocation and modification of transmission lines remains an important part of construction organization. The Kashmir Divisional Administration has required KPTCL to simultaneously advance the construction of new transmission towers to reduce the impact of power outages during relocation, and has also required NHAI to coordinate with the National Institute of Technology as soon as possible to complete bridge load testing.

Early project materials of NHAI show that Phase I of the Srinagar Ring Road adopts a four-lane construction plan, with an official project length of approximately 41.7 kilometers, implemented under the EPC model, with the contractor being NKC Projects Private Limited, and the project commencement date being August 6, 2021. The 46-kilometer scope adopted in this on-site inspection covers the entire construction corridor from Galander to Narbal, and therefore there is a statistical boundary difference from the NHAI contract project length.

In addition to Phase I construction, the project is also planned to continue extending toward Ganderbal and Pandach. The local administrative department has also required the study of connection plans between the ring road and nodes such as Budgam urban area, Srinagar Airport, and the National Institute of Fashion Technology. The relevant connecting lines are still in the stage of plan study and coordination.