NATHULA:Improvement works of JN Marg going on


GANGTOK, January 3: The black top surface of National Highway is being presently relayed from Rambhi (Km 17) towards Sevoke in West Bengal with an aim to provide a good riding surface up to Gangtok in a phased manner.

This is a part of the Border Roads Organization’s Project Swastik’s large scale improvement works on National Highway-31A and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg.

NH 31-A is being improved at 10 places in Sikkim and 16 in West Bengal to provide a two lane wide road for safe movement of traffic. The work on a Cut & Cover Tunnel at Bardang for which the Foundation stone was laid by Chief Minister of Sikkim on November 11 is progressing with a fast pace to provide a safe passage before the monsoon season of 2010. A Detailed Project Report for two lane road from Rangpo to Ranipul amounting to Rs 99 Crore has been submitted to the Government in Dec 2009, the release said adding that a DPR for construction of a new two lane road of 16 Km length amounting to Rs 160 Crore on the other face of the same hill on which the National highway is located has also been submitted to the Government. The alignment of this new road will take off near Rambhi (Km 20) and meet short of Teesta Bridge on National Highway-31A bye passing the sinking area at Mile 27 location (NHPC damsite) and the Lukhbir slide zone, it said.

The double laning works of Jawahar Lal Nehru Marg beyond Kyangnosla have suffered set back due to land slide problem at Kyangnosla and the prevailing low temperature in the region. The accident prone areas are being improved by fixing metal crash barriers, constructing stone masonry parapet walls, fixing road sign boards, etc. This may reduce the accidents provided the drivers follow the speed norms and traffic regulations while moving on this road, the release added.