Srinagar Leh Highway Status 2022 – 2023

The post Srinagar Leh Highway Status 2022 – 2023 appeared first on Devil On Wheels™ written and copyrighted by Devil On Wheels™.

This year on March 20, 2022, BRO has thrown Srinagar Leh Highway open. So, the current status of Srinagar Leh Highway is open but only essential goods vehicles and army vehicles will be allowed for some time till the road becomes stable and safe for the general public or tourists.

As of May 3, 2022, the Srinagar Leh Highway is open for tourists and the general public. Only one-way traffic on Zojila Pass is allowed as of now with odd dates of the month allowing traffic towards Ladakh from Srinagar and for the even dates, the traffic is allowed towards Srinagar from Leh.

This year, the snow clearance operations on Srinagar Leh Highway for the season 2022-23 have started in February from Srinagar and Drass sides. Last year as well it began pretty early in February due to less amount of snow. And it may be possible that the snow clearance will get complete sometime in early March if the weather holds up in the coming months.

Last year, on 19th February 2021, BRO made a groundbreaking 61-year record of clearing the snow from Srinagar Leh Highway. With snow cleared from Zojila Pass, everybody expected Srinagar Leh Highway to open by end of February, which was supposed to be a record in the history of the opening of Srinagar Leh Highway that early in the season ever.

As of now, BRO expects to open Srinagar Leh Highway in 2022 at the same pace as it did last year. However, only time and weather in the coming weeks will have the final say in it.

It means that the butterflies in the stomach of all the adventure enthusiasts planning their upcoming trip to Leh Ladakh in 2022 will be more frequent

The Srinagar Leh Highway Status 2021 OPENED on 27th February, as BRO worked hard to clear the heavy amount of snow from Sonamarg towards Zojila Pass on the Srinagar side and from Drass towards Zojila on the Kargil side.

You might also be interested in tracking the road status for Manali Leh Highway.

When will Srinagar Leh Highway open in 2022?

After offering prayers, BRO commenced the snow clearance operations earlier in February from both Srinagar – Sonamarg side as well as Dras – Kargil’s side. They are targeting to open Srinagar – Zojila Pass – Kargil – Leh route as soon as possible in early March to support the locals and tourists traveling over Srinagar Leh Highway.

According to the sources, BRO is working hard to clear the decent amount of snow accumulated this year on Srinagar Leh Highway. The reports say that about 6 feet of snow are present on Sonamarg – Baltal road, and about 12 feet of snow is accumulated at Zojila Pass. It is not an easy task to cut through such a huge amount of snow in that difficult avalanche-prone terrain.

However, we shall wait for the day soon for the Srinagar – Leh Highway to open soon in early March and let the adventure for 2022 begin …

There has not been a heavy snowfall this year in the entire Himalayas, and hence, this year’s opening of Srinagar Leh Highway will be in record-breaking time in February end or early March similar to last year as it opened 27th February. As per the authorities, there are fewer feet of snow stretches that have to be cut around Zojila Pass and about 4-6 feet between Sonamarg to Zojila Pass.

It will be interesting to watch for the weather in the coming days and as we all understand that these predictions are only the means of interest & hope to us, the mere mortals. It is weather and mountains gods which always have the last say when it comes to weather especially in the Himalayas …

When does Srinagar Leh Highway open usually?

This 434 KM long Srinagar Leh Highway was closed at December end last year and usually opens up by the first week of April or March end looking at only the last few years. I do feel that this year it may open early owing to less amount of snow in the Himalayas. It has been a norm that we set up the targets to open the highway early only to realize that the weather has the last laugh.

I have been watching it for the last 13 years now, and this year as well, I don’t expect major changes. Eventually, it will all get down upon the weather and snow conditions in the month of March / April when snow may happen in many parts of the Himalayas including this belt of Kashmir too.

Should I travel on Srinagar Leh immediately after road opening?

When making a road trip to Leh Ladakh over Srinagar Leh Highway, you must keep in mind that even when the road from Srinagar to Leh opens, it takes some time to get them stabilized. Due to snow sliding and loose gravel, roadblocks are very common in the initial days, especially around Zojila Pass.

Even there is one-way traffic with time restrictions of traffic flow in the initial days because the road is not wide enough due to snow walls and one-way traffic is only allowed at Zojila Pass.

Hence, it is recommended that you wait for a couple of weeks before planning the trip on Srinagar Leh Highway after its official opening. The last thing you will want on your much-awaited Leh Ladakh road trip is to get stranded on some lonely yet feezing stretches of Srinagar – Leh Highway in early April.

Please keep in mind that even when the Srinagar to Leh road to Ladakh gets open early in 2022, it needs at least a couple of weeks to settle or get stabilized from the initial snow sliding that happens due to the quick melting of snow.

So, please do not rush to Ladakh by road as soon as the highway is thrown open rather wait for a couple of weeks to let it stabilize ???? … This will ensure safe passage for you and avoid any unforeseen mishaps.

Where can I track Leh Srinagar Road Status 2022?

As per the previous years, I will be starting this sticky post for Srinagar Leh Highway Status 2022, which so many adventure lovers await every year. Unlike the last few years, I will keep updating this article with the latest updates. Up until the last year, I used to update the progress in the DoW Community forums thread for better tracking of updates.

I understand that a forum topic always helps in better tracking as well as collation of info over time in an organized manner. However, forum management has become a pain due to the lack of a team. Hence, all updates on Srinagar – Leh Highway Status 2022 will be posted or updated in this article only.

Will this thread have updated Srinagar Leh Road Status in 2022?

Once the Srinagar Leh road opens, I may not be that active in updating the minor road closures or status because of these roads in the high Himalayas, which close and open frequently. It is barely impossible for a single tiny soul like me to update this information daily once the road gets open, so please request you to excuse me on that front and accept my apologies :)…

However, if there is some major blockade of 3 – 4 days, I will try to surely update such information about Srinagar Leh Highway status 2022.

I hope as per the last years, this year as well this article thread will be useful in planning your journey on Srinagar Leh Highway and further to Leh – Ladakh region.

Please note that if you are traveling from Manali to Leh over Rohtang Pass and coming back from Leh to Srinagar highway, you will need to get the permit for Rohtang Pass which can be applied online. But, if you plan to use Atal Tunnel which opened in 2020, you do not need a Rohtang Pass permit.

Current Srinagar Leh Highway Status = OPEN, One-way traffic allowed | Update: 3 May 2022

Update: 3 May 2022

As of this date, the road from Srinagar to Leh is open for tourists. Traffic is allowed one way only on Zojila Pass where odd dates of the month allow movement of traffic from Srinagar to Leh while even dates the traffic is allowed from Kargil / Leh to Srinagar.

Update: 20 March 2022

On March 19, 2022, the status of Srinagar Leh Highway is open but tourists are not yet allowed and only army vehicles or essential vehicles will be using it in the coming days. Taking advantage of the late closure of Srinagar Leh Highway last year, BRO has created history yet again by opening the Srinagar Leh Highway in the record of 73 days. The earlier average of the opening of Srinagar Leh Highway was used to be 135 days.

Tourists will be allowed to travel on Srinagar Leh Highway as soon as the road is deemed safe for passage. Initially, it may be possible that one-way traffic is only allowed. Then later in the season, BRO will allow two-way traffic as the road at Zojila Pass gets widened.

Update: 1 March 2022

Snow clearance operation on Srinagar Leh Highway is at the last stage where only 2-3 km of stretch is left at Zojila Pass from the Srinagar side where snow clearance is remaining. If the weather holds up in the coming weeks, we should surely see the opening of Srinagar Leh Highway as soon as possible.

Update: 19 Feb 2022

The snow clearance operation from both sides of Srinagar Leh Highway is in full swing and BRO expects this road to open in 2022 by early March much as it opened in the last year in February end.

In fact, the Srinagar Leh Highway was open as late as 4 January 2022 and was declared officially closed on 5 January 2022. This is the record time for which Srinagar Leh Highway remains open in a year, almost 10 months. So, you can imagine how climate change is affecting the snow levels in the Himalayas.

Please note that even though the road got cleared in February end and was declared open, tourists vehicles were only allowed a couple of times before the Ladakh season time of June to September. As late as May end, the Srinagar Leh Highway was operational only one-way for traffic.

Update: 12 Feb 2022

After heavy snowfall in winter, Srinagar – Leh highway continues to remain closed in 2022 as of mid-February. Snow clearance operations may have begun already and BRO will soon project the dates of its opening.

Update: 31 May 2021

The road from Srinagar to Leh is still open for one-way traffic only. However, now the traffic is allowed from Srinagar to Leh as well as Leh to Srinagar side as well.

Update: 2 May 2021

The tourist or passenger traffic or vehicles were not allowed to pass from Sonamarg to Kargil – Leh due to the weekend Corona curfew in the Ladakh region.

The one-way traffic from Srinagar to Leh is allowed for vehicles carrying essential commodities on the weekend. The traffic from Leh to Srinagar is not allowed yet.

Update: 26 April 2021

Finally, after a couple of spells of fresh snowfall in April, Srinagar Leh Highway has opened again but only for one-way traffic from Srinagar to Leh for all types of vehicles. There will be timings imposed on the traffic movement according to which the traffic from Sonamarg will be allowed after 10:30 am and 11:00 am from Meenamarg to Kargil.

Road conditions are still very snowy and icy up there, so please take precautions when traveling.

The traffic from Kargil to Srinagar is not yet allowed and only one-way traffic is allowed from Srinagar to Leh from 7 AM to 1 PM only. Vehicles crossing before or after this time range will not be allowed.

Update: 23 April 2021

After opening for a day or two, Srinagar Leh Highway has closed again due to fresh snowfall again at Zojila Pass. Authorities suggest that if the weather remains clear, Srinagar to Leh road will be thrown open again soon.

Update Date: 15 April 2021

Well, inclement weather and snow over Zojila Pass continue to remain closed for the last 1.5 months. However, BRO is toiling hard to clear the snow again from Zojila Pass and expects that they will complete the snow clearance in the next couple of days. It means that if the weather stays favorable, BRO may open Srinagar Leh Highway in the coming week.

Authorities are setting up Covid-19 screening checkpoints at Meenamarg and setting up facilities for conducting RT-PCR tests for all inbound passengers to Leh Ladakh and Kargil.

Read more here: Snow-clearing operations at Srinagar-Leh NH in full swing

Update: 5th April 2021

Due to snow slides, avalanches, and inclement weather, BRO is still not allowing tourists and locals to travel beyond Zojila Pass on Srinagar – Leh Highway. So, even though the road was cleared of snow on 28th February, still, no general public traffic is allowed on the highway after an initial couple of days.

Update Date: 20 March 2021

It has been almost three weeks since the Srinagar Leh Highway has been declared open. However, tourists have not been allowed to travel beyond Sonamarg to cross Zojila Pass. There is the constant spell of snowfall, avalanches, and snow slides that remains the road closed or not suitable to travel for the general public including tourists and locals. More snow is predicted in the coming days in Jammu & Kashmir as per weather forecasts.

Update Date: 5 March 2021

After declaring the road open last week in a record time, there is still no sign of tourists or civilians being allowed to cross Zojila Pass on Srinagar Leh Highway to travel to Ladakh from Srinagar. The avalanches and snow slides are causing the road to remain closed.

Update Date: 28 February 2021

The road from Srinagar to Leh has been opened after remaining closed for 2 months of heavy snowfall. It has been the record opening of Srinagar Leh Highway ever and it just remained closed for only 58 days this winter. You can read the full report here at Srinagar-Leh road reopens after 2 months.

Update Date: 24 February 2021

The road from Srinagar to Kargil to Leh has been cleared of snow in record time this year by BRO. In the past 61 years, it has never happened that BRO cleared the snow such early in the season that too in February. It means that now the Srinagar to Leh road shall be thrown open by the end of February.

Update Date: 19th February 2021

The snow clearance operations have been almost completed started in February this year on Srinagar Leh Highway. It is expected that snow will be cleared from the Srinagar to Leh road by the end of February if the weather stays favorable.

If you are traveling to Leh only by flight, you can plan to make a day trip to Kargil covering Lamayuru and Sham Valley on the way to Kargil from Leh.

Timings of Zojila Pass in April 2021

Some Important Articles for Reference & Regular Updates

• 5 Reasons to choose Srinagar – Leh Road over Manali – Leh Road
• 7 Useful Tips for a Self Drive to Leh – Ladakh
• 40 Must-Have Things to Carry on Ladakh Self Drive Trip
• List of things to carry for your Ladakh Trip
• Acute Mountain Sickness and Importance of Acclimatization

Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comment on my YouTube videos.

Srinagar Leh Highway Travel Guide Infographic

Download your FREE high-resolution version pdf copy of this Srinagar to Leh route travel infographic. If, you liked it and found it helpful, please feel free to share it with your family and friends to help them too.

Srinagar – Leh Highway Status = CLOSED | Update Date: 18 February 2022

Zojila, 18 Feb 2022: The strategic 434 kilometre Srinagar-Leh Highway, the only road connecting the Ladakh region with rest of Jammu and Kashmir is likely to open early this year mostly because of the less snowfall as compared to previous years.

Beacon Officials told Greater Kashmir that the snow clearance work on the highway was going on in full swing.

The official added that snow clearance work was likely to be completed by the end of this month subject to favourable weather conditions. He said only after assessing the road conditions the decision to allow traffic on the road will be taken.

However, this year due to the less snowfall during winters the road clearance operation is likely to take less time as compared to earlier. Reports said that nearly 8-10 feet of snow has accumulated along Zojila pass while 4-6 feet of snow has accumulated along Sonamarg-Baltal road.

Full Report: Srinagar Leh Highway to open soon.

Have a travel question?? You can follow me on Instagram and subscribe to my YouTube channel to ask your travel questions in a direct message on Instagram or comment on my YouTube videos.

The post Srinagar Leh Highway Status 2022 – 2023 appeared first on Devil On Wheels™ written and copyrighted by Devil On Wheels™.