Bandipora commuters suffer daily diversions, traffic mess in absence of basic bridges

Bandipora, Jun 14: The central government recently invited bids for a Detailed Project Report to likely upgrade the Sumbal-Bandipora-Gurez road to a National Highway. But for the thousands of commuters travelling on this 60-kilometre stretch daily, the reality on the ground is far from smooth.

Instead of wide roads, residents are currently stuck navigating exhausting detours and narrow bottlenecks, just waiting for two basic bridges to be built. Besides braving narrow curves, and blind spots, commuters have to make difficult decisions whether to take Naninara – Sumbal route or take longer and cumbersome alternatives, losing precious time. The temporary bailey bridge over a Jhelum tributary at Naninara used to cause disturbance to nearby inhabitants and spark safety fears. While that structure was dismantled, after declaring it unsafe months ago, to make way for a permanent bridge, the ongoing construction has created a severe headache. Travellers are forced onto long diversions, triggering massive traffic jams that trap ambulances, students, and daily wage earners for hours.

Meanwhile, at Garoora (Tangwani) in the Bandipora division, the primary issue is the existing bridge’s narrow width. The restriction creates a chronic bottleneck, forcing a frustrating one-way traffic system. “The bridge in Bandipora division alone has disrupted smooth traffic flow for years. Vehicles have to cross one by one,” said Sameer Wani, a local resident. Daily commuter Iqtidar Ahmad agreed, adding, “If there is a rush or traffic jam, it becomes a complete mess.” The glaring contrast between multi-crore highway plans and delays over rudimentary bridges has frustrated the public. Reacting to the work being commenced for two-lane bridge at Garoora, one local highlighted the irony. He argued a double-lane concrete structure should have been built decades ago, noting that celebrating basic steel bridges feels severely outdated “in this era of AI and rapid technological advancement”. A local resident Ghulam Ahmad Bhat summed up the widespread sentiment: “It feels like we are still living in the 60s. Forget highway status, our administration has not even managed to construct two small bridges on such an important road.”

Defending the administration’s progress, Bandipora Deputy Commissioner, InduKanwalChib outlined a firm timeline to resolve the crisis and a strategy to prevent the Naninara-style traffic chaos from repeating at Garoora. “Our Naninara is nearing completion,” Chib stated. “I think in another 20 to 25 days its work will be completed.”

With Naninara likely wrapping up, she noted that focus is simultaneously shifting to the long-demanded Garoorabridge. To avoid the diversion nightmares seen at Sumbal, the administration is taking a preventative approach. “At Naninara we had the challenge that there was no space, but here there is space,” the Deputy Commissioner explained.

Instead of immediate dismantling, the administration is first building a temporary, two-way alternate bypass. “For the six to eight months it takes to build the bridge, during those months our traffic there continues to run and people don’t face inconvenience,” Chib assured, adding that work on this alternate Tangwani route has already started.