Fresh route at higher alignment to replace sunk stretch
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 30 2013: A new road which would replace the sunk portion of NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur highway) has been constructed at an alignment higher than the earlier course of the highway.

The new road which starts from near Kohima is very steep on the side facing Manipur as compared to the earlier gradient of the highway.

For comfortable movement of loaded trucks, the road needs to be lowered by around two metres.

Until the new road is re-aligned at appropriate gradient, no vehicles would be allowed to move on the newly constructed road.

Notably, a 300 metre long section of Imphal-Dimapur highway sank near Heritage village, Kohima in the intervening night of July 12 and 13 following which the highway literally remained closed to heavy loaded vehicles.

Subsequently, authorities were compelled to search for alternative routes.

(L) Work on at the Meirei-Kedima road and (R) the sunken portion of NH-2

Although gradient of the new road is much steeper, light vehicles are somehow moving on the road.

According to a source, adjustment of the road's gradient to appropriate angle would take four/five days.

As such, 15th BRTF has informed PWD, Government of Manipur that they would like to close the road to all kinds of vehicles until levelling work of the road to appropriate gradient is completed.

Levelling work is scheduled to begin from August 2 because of which movement of all kinds of vehicles on the road would be prohibited starting from the same day.

Until the levelling work is completed, all kinds of vehicles would have to take either Pudunamei-Kedima road or Pudunamei-Merei road which are being repaired by the Government of Manipur for temporary use.

As for the huge boulder which is blocking movement of heavy vehicles on Merei-Kedima road, the boulder can be broken down into pieces and removed from the path of vehicles by July 31 morning.

One PWD official who is directly monitoring and supervising the repairing work of the two road sections informed The Sangai Express over phone that the huge boulder can be certainly broken down into pieces by tomorrow morning, if not today.

Since the boulder is broken down and smaller pieces removed, heavy vehicles can move on Merei-Kedima road.

On the other hand, heavy vehicles have already started movement on Kedima-Pudunamei road.

At least 15 heavy loaded vehicles including ten-wheelers passed the road on their way to Imphal today.

Moreover, a dozer has been station on the road in case any heavy vehicle got stuck on the road, informed the source.