Update: Khooni Nallah Bypass Due in December as the Digdol–Panthiyal Tunnel's Second Tube Nears Completion

The story so far

JammuBeat has followed the tunnels that are shortening the Jammu–Srinagar drive since June (Nine Hours to Four). One of the last pieces still open is the stretch around Khooni Nallah, the ravine on the Ramban section of NH-44 long associated with rockfalls and accidents.

What's new

NHAI Project Director Shubham Yadav told Greater Kashmir that work on the second tube of the Digdol–Panthiyal tunnel is on track, with only a 170-metre diversion remaining. The 2.6-km northbound tube, towards Srinagar, and an additional 619-metre section are scheduled to open in December 2026. The 3.08-km southbound tube, towards Jammu, opened in July.

• Project: a roughly 5.7-km twin-tube tunnel costing Rs 866.37 crore, begun in 2022 and built with the New Austrian Tunnelling Method; each tube is 10 metres wide.
• Time saved on the section: the Digdol-to-Ramsoo/Magarkote run is expected to take about five minutes.
• Already running: the 870-metre T5 cut-and-cover tunnel, which has a protective canopy and shortens the route by about 1.1 km.

The report is not fully clear on whether the 619-metre section is the same structure as the one it calls the "84 tunnel"; it says both are expected by December.

Why it matters if you travel between Jammu and the Valley

Students heading to exams and colleges, jobseekers and traders have all lost days to this stretch. Digdol resident Abdul Majid told the paper: "Earlier, when rocks used to fall and during heavy rains, many people would be forced to wait for days on either side." The four-laning of the highway, begun in phases in 2011, was meant to cut the Jammu–Srinagar journey from nine hours to four, and the tunnels replace slope-cutting that kept triggering landslides.

December is a target, not a notification: no opening date has been announced, and winter weather can move construction schedules. For current traffic rules on the highway, see our earlier piece on regulated two-way traffic.

Source: Greater Kashmir, 27 October 2026.