DUSHANBE, January 4, 2011, Asia-Plus  -- The highway from Dushanbe to Khujand was reopened for traffic Wednesday afternoon, Abdumajid Sharipov, the technical director of Innovative Road Solutions (IRS), said in an interview with Asia-Plus.

IRS is the company that operates the toll on the Dushanbe-Khujand-Chanak highway.

According to Sharipov, a series of avalanches blocked in some sections the highway Wednesday morning.  “The highway has been cleared of snow and the traffic has been resumed fully,” the IRS technical director noted.

According to the data from the Ministry of Transport (MoT), all highways and passes are currently open for traffic.  “The Dushanbe-Vahdat-Rasht-Jirgatol highway was closed for traffic only for an hour Wednesday morning because of drifting,” said the source, “The highway has been cleared of snow and it is now open for traffic.”

Weather forecasters warn of further avalanches and drifting in mountain areas on January 5 and 6.  Drivers are advised to refrain from unnecessary travels to mountain areas.