Road widening renders Aut-Bhuntar stretch vulnerable

Tribune News Service

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Mandi, July 23

Single-lane bailey bridge at Bhuntar bypass road, closed Bhootnath bridge in Kullu, lack of parking places at Takoli, Bhuntar and Kullu are the major causes of traffic chaos between Aut and Kullu.

The road widening work on the Chandigarh-Manali highway is continuing, making it prone to landslide between Aut and Bhuntar.

Parking vehicles in the Aut tunnel, the entry point to Kullu district, is a major cause of accidents. Due to poor monitoring by the police in the tunnel, the illegally parked vehicles go unnoticed, causing traffic jams too.

There is a market yard for vegetable produce at Takoli. There is no parking space for carrier vehicles. As a result, drivers park vehicles on the roadside, causing long traffic jam during the vegetable season.

Visitors to Kullu and Manali are greeted by traffic jams at Bhuntar, especially during summers, where vehicles can be seen parked on roadside in one-kilometre stretch. The road leading to the town is narrow and roadside parking causes huge trouble for travellers.

The major reason is a single-lane bailey bridge at Bhuntar linking the highway with Kullu bypass road. The Bhuntar bridge was washed away in 1995 and so far the construction of proposed new bridge has not started.

The Bhootnath bridge at Sarwari has been closed for traffic since January this year after it developed cracks just within 5 years of its inauguration.

The traffic now goes from right bank road and traffic jams are witnessed at bottlenecks in Dhalpur, Sarwari and Akhara areas of the town. Due to lack of parking space in Dhalpur, Gandhi Nagar, Sarwari and Akhara, the commuters are forced to park their vehicles on the roadside due to which frequent traffic jams are observed in these areas.

Bridge closed to traffic

The major reason of traffic jams is a single-lane bailey bridge at Bhuntar linking the highway with Kullu bypass road. The bridge was washed away in 1995 and so far the construction of the proposed new bridge has not started. The Bhootnath bridge at Sarwari has been closed for traffic since January this year after it developed cracks just within 5 years of its inauguration.