Gadkari Opens Bridge Over River Ravi Connecting Punjab-J&K; Pathankot-Kathua Distance Slashed To Just 8.6 KM

The Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a 1210-meter span-bridge over the river Ravi in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district on Tuesday (22 January), a ministry statement said.

Gadkari, while addressing a public rally after the inauguration, said that the Narendra Modi led government had set a new mark in timely delivery of public goods by completing various projects on or before time. This bridge will improve connectivity between Jammu & Kashmir and Punjab.

Over 220,000 people living on the two sides - Kathua in Jammu, and Pathankot in Punjab - will benefit from the bridge.

The Keerian-Gandial bridge has been constructed at the cost of Rs 158.84 crore to improve inter-state connectivity. It would reduce distance between Kathua and Pathankot from 45 km to 8.6 km, which will save on both time and fuel cost.

Speaking about the state of highways in the Jammu and Kashmir, Gadkari said that the total length of National Highways in 2014 was 1695 km, which has gone up to 2664 km in 2018.

Number of National Highways have also increased from seven to 14 in the same period and 969 km of new such highways have been announced. In addition to this, four state roads of 400 kms have also been approved, the statement added.