The prolonged Shopian-Bijbehara road, which has encountered delays, is expected to be finished by the end of the year as most of the construction work is finished and the final leg of the road construction is moving along quickly. With a two-year completion goal, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways approved funding of Rs 489.3 million for the construction of this vital connecting link. “There were many factors involved, ranging from lack of funds to the project’s implementation being amended a few times. But all the issues have been resolved now and work is in the final stages,” an official said. The road is essential for tying the old Mughal route to the Srinagar-Jammu highway near Bijbehara town and connecting more than 20 villages to the district of Anantnag in South Kashmir. Additionally, it will connect a number of locations to Bijbehara Railway Station. The project was delayed, according to officials, due to the moving of utilities by the departments, such as water pipelines and electric poles. The road was intended to be finished in two years but has missed many deadlines. “The process was initially delayed for a while since there were not enough funds to switch utilities, but that problem has since been remedied,” an official stated. Rafiq Ahmad, the department's chief engineer for roads and buildings, said that the project is substantially complete and will be finished soon. “The project is moving along extremely well, and because all of the important works have been finished, we anticipate it being finished in the next two months. We are currently removing certain bottlenecks,” he said, adding that 15 of the original 25 kilometers have been finished, and work is currently being done on the final 10 kilometers. Although the project had been in limbo for a while, the locals claimed that recent developments had given them renewed hope. “This project is really important and will greatly benefit people. We can travel faster by using the road to get to Anantnag. Currently, we have to travel to Shopian, Pulwama, and then either the National Highway or another area of the Valley from there,” Basit Ahmad, a local said. See also: Rajouri gets road connectivity! Road projects in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh improving travel