Jammu: In order to strengthen the infrastructure along the Shri Amarnath Ji Yatra route, the government is preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for a 60-km-long road project worth Rs 3,500 crore, officials said on Wednesday. 

This information was shared during a meeting chaired by Union Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways Ajay Tamta.

The meeting was informed that the Amarnath road project forms part of a wider initiative to upgrade pilgrimage and tourism infrastructure in Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials said that DPRs are being prepared for 60 km of Amarnath Yatra road works worth Rs 3,500 crore. Besides, the Rs 880-crore Katra Intermodal Station will integrate rail, road and heli-services for devotees visiting Shri Mata Vaishno Devi.

Additionally, 54 ropeway proposals worth Rs 30,000 crore have been received, with eight projects worth Rs 16,000 crore to be taken up in the first phase at sites including the 3,880-metre-high holy cave shrine of Amarnath, Shankaracharya Temple, Thajiwas Glacier, Bhadarwah, Sanasar and Doodhpathri.

The meeting was also informed that four high-speed corridors worth Rs 50,000 crore, including Jammu-Udhampur-Srinagar, Jammu-Chenani-Anantnag, Srinagar-Baramulla-Uri and Jammu-Akhnoor, are under construction.

These will improve access to the Kashmir Valley, Chenab Valley, Rajouri-Poonch, North Kashmir and key border areas, aiding tourism, trade and defence mobility, the meeting was told.

The 670-km Delhi-Amritsar-Katra Greenfield Expressway, costing Rs 41,000 crore, will also strengthen pilgrimage connectivity.

Within Jammu and Kashmir, 143 km of the expressway, worth Rs 11,500 crore, is slated for completion by August 2027, reducing the Delhi-Katra distance by 58 km.

The meeting was also informed that urban mobility is being addressed through ring roads.

The 104-km Srinagar Ring Road, costing Rs 7,200 crore, will divert traffic from the city and improve links to Baramulla, Kupwara, Bandipora, Gurez, Kargil and Leh.

The 58-km Jammu Ring Road is nearing completion, with 53 km already operational, while DPR work is underway for the 33-km Eastern Jammu Ring Road.

The meeting was informed that the next phase includes DPRs for 707 km of highways worth Rs 65,000 crore.

Key upcoming projects include the 125-km Katra-Srinagar High-Speed Corridor, the Rafiabad-Kupwara-Tangdhar route with the Sadhna Tunnel, the Surankote-Bufliaz-Doodhpathri-Magam corridor with the Peer Ki Gali Tunnel, Samba-Mansar-Udhampur four-laning, the Srinagar-Sonamarg-Gumri corridor, and new service roads and underpasses on the Srinagar-Qazigund stretch.

Union Minister of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari also outlined some of these projects during his recent visit to the Zojila Tunnel, where he initiated the breakthrough blast of the tunnel.

J&K Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah accompanied Nitin Gadkari to the Zojila Tunnel during the initiation of the breakthrough blast.

The Zojila Tunnel is expected to become operational by the end of 2028.