Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday announced a Rs 1,500-crore project to upgrade the 57-km Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri stretch into a four-lane highway with paved shoulders.
Speaking to reporters after the Zojila Tunnel breakthrough, Gadkari said the Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be finalised by July, following which construction work will commence.
He said the upgrade is expected to significantly cut travel time on the route-from around two-and-a-half hours to about 45 minutes-and improve connectivity to Sonamarg and Ladakh.
The project, he added, is part of the government's broader push to strengthen road infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir and ensure all-weather connectivity to the strategically important Ladakh region.
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