MUSSOORIE: Several-kilometre-long traffic jams were witnessed on the Mussoorie-Dehradun road on Wednesday on both sides of the landslide-affected stretch near Pani Wala Bend.According to Public Works Department (PWD) officials, they had cut into the hillside during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday to widen the road. Stone paving was also carried out to facilitate the movement of vehicles.“At 9 am, there was a landslide at this site, due to which fresh mud came down on the road. It was cleared with a JCB, but vehicles got stuck because of the mud, and it took some time to clear the road,” said Pradeep Singh Shahi, additional assistant engineer, PWD.Commuters said the disruption led to long queues of vehicles on both sides of the obstructed stretch, with traffic backed up 2-3 km in either direction. The congestion stretched from the Eco Barrier at Kolhukhet to Kuthalgate.“I reached the Eco Barrier at 3:15 pm and reached the damaged site at 5:24 pm,” said Aalok Mehrotra, a resident.“Please avoid travelling on this road or keep two extra hours in hand,” said another resident, who did not wish to be named.A portion of the road was damaged last month due to heavy rains, disrupting traffic since then. Authorities have been working to cut into the hillside and widen the road to ease the movement of vehicles.On Wednesday, representatives of the Mussoorie Hotel Association also submitted a memorandum to the administration regarding the condition of the road.Following the congestion, traffic was diverted towards Kimadi gradually to ease the snarl. Movement for heavy vehicles will be restricted.
