RAMBAN, October 30, 2026 – While massive concrete pillars now rise along the Bishleri Nallah riverbed, commuters traversing the treacherous stretches of the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway (NH-44) face yet another year of waiting for a safer and more reliable passage.
According to the latest project updates, the highly anticipated Rs 614.5-crore Package-III project—awarded to Ceigall India Ltd in September 2021—has missed its original deadline, and its completion has been pushed further into the future.
Construction on the crucial segment began in February 2022 and was originally scheduled for completion by August 2, 2024. However, owing to multiple challenges, the deadline was initially revised to December 2026. Official reports now indicate that the wider NH-44 corridor upgrades will not be fully completed until December 2027.
Despite the delays, significant structural progress is visible on the ground. A substantial section of the new corridor is being built along the Bishleri Nallah riverbed, where elevated highway sections supported by massive pillars have drastically reduced the need for extensive, destabilizing mountain cutting along the fragile hillsides.
Several key viaducts are already providing partial relief to travelers. The 818-metre ‘V1’ Magarkote-Ramsoo viaduct is partly operational, with its northbound carriageway towards Jammu open to traffic since July 2026. However, work on the southbound side towards Srinagar is expected to continue until mid-2027.
Meanwhile, the 450-metre ‘V2’ Gangroo viaduct is fully operational in both directions, successfully bypassing a highly vulnerable section at Gangroo. The upcoming ‘V3’ viaduct is designed to bypass difficult mountainous stretches at Gangroo, Hengri, and Nachlana, while the ‘V4’ viaduct will bypass the notorious, accident-prone zones of Nachlana and Kishtwari Pathar, significantly improving road safety and traffic flow. (An earlier structure, the Sherbibi viaduct, was opened in 2023).
Project officials executing the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contract have attributed the continuous delays to a multitude of severe challenges. These include frequent landslides, unexpected flash floods, adverse weather conditions, heavy traffic congestion on the existing narrow road, right-of-way (ROW) disputes, land acquisition hurdles, utility shifting, and complex geological surprises native to the Pir Panjal range.
While retaining walls and southbound carriageway construction continue on several viaducts, along with an additional 1.67-km highway span, the region’s commuters remain anxious for the final completion of one of the highway’s most difficult and dangerous stretches.
Published by True Roots Media Network