# Sasoma–Saser La Road

Sasoma–Sasser La-Saser Brangsa-Gapsam-Daulat Beg Oldi Road (SSSG-DBO Road) 131 km long road through 17,800 feet (5,400 m) high Saser La, and its 18-km-long northwest-to-southeast fork the Sasser Brangsa-Murgo Road (SBM Road), are 30-ft-wide black-topped heavy-military-vehicle-grade motorable road between Nubra Valley and Depsang Plains (DBO-Daulat Beg Oldi) in Ladakh in India. The sections of SSSG-DBO Road are the 47 km long "Sasoma (near Siachen Base Camp)- Saser La section", 27 km long "Saser La-Saser Brangsa section", 42 km long "Saser Brangsa-Gapsam section" along the upstream of Shyok River which goes northeast of Saser Brangsa, and 10 km long "Gapsam-DBO section". Just after the Saser Brangsa, after crossing the 345 m long bridge over the Shyok River, the SSSG-DBO Road forks into two: 18 km long "Saser Brangsa-Murgo Road" (SBM Road) along the downstream of Shyok River which goes southeast of Saser Brangsa, and 52 km long Saser Brangsa-Gapsam-DBO route (SSSG-DBO Road) along the upstream of Shyok River which goes northeast of Saser Brangsa. These forks connect to the Darbuk–Shyok–DBO Road (DS-DBO Road) at two places: at Daulat Beg Oldi in northeast and at Murgo in southeast. This strategically important road provides a much shorter alternative access from Nubra Valley to DBO as compared to the longer 230 km route via "DS-DBO Road", reducing the travel time between Nubra valley and DBO from 2 days to mere 6 hours. In September 2023, several sections of the road are already complete, the whole blacktopped route will be completed by October 2024. To provide the all-weather connectivity, the DPR (detailed project report) for 7 km long Saser La tunnel under the Saser La till Saser Brangsa was being prepared in June 2023, the tunnel construction will commence in 2025 and will be completed by 2028.

## Strategic significance

This road provides access to the India-held DBO and Depsang Plains, near the India-China-Pakistan tri-junction of disputed areas, which is a potential location for a joint China-Pakistan military operation against India. Being close to the disputed areas of the India-China Line of Actual Control (LAC), this strategically important road provides a much shorter alternative access from Nubra Valley to DBO as compared to the longer 230 km route via "DS-DBO Road". This road will provide second access route access to Indian Military's strategically important "Sub-sector North", which includes India's northernmost military base at DBO with world's highest airstrip, Karakorum Pass which connects Ladakh to China-occupued Xinjiang. In response to India's expansion of road infrastructure in the India-held area, China deliberately intruded in the Indian-held area, leading to 2013 Depsang standoff. China is constructing the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir which is an area claimed by India. India also claims the nearby Trans-Karakoram Tract (Shaksgam Valley) ceded to China by Pakistan. Pakistan and China have also built the strategic Karakoram Highway, which connects Pakistan-held India-claimed Gilgit to Xinjiang.

## History

Border Roads Organisation (BRO) is responsible for constructing this ICBR road & tunnel, under the Project Himank.

### Road construction

In August 2020, a dirt track was created from Sasoma to Saser La & Saser Brangsa, which was later widened to a 30 ft road after the National Board for Wildlife gave permission to allocate 55 hectares land of Karakoram Wildlife Sanctuary for the road widening. In April 2023, 2 month long black-topping of 43 km long Sasoma-Saser La section commenced. After its completion in June 2023, the paving of 4 km long section over the Saser La with the concrete interlocking tiles started which will be completed by August 2023. Route from Saser Brangsa to Murgo and Saser Brangsa to DBO has already black-topped and motorable in 2022–2023.

## Route & current status

The route is as follows.
* Sasoma-Brangsa route:
** Sasoma-Saser La Road, 52.4 km: Cellular confinement systems (CCS), also known as geocells, are used in construction for erosion control and soil stabilization under glacial conditions. In December 2023, road surfacing was in progress which was largely complete and the remaining small section will be completed during the next working season by May–June 2024 summer.
*** Saser La Tunnel: Planned, in DPR phase, see "future section" below.
** Saser La-Saser Brangsa Road, 16 km: In December 2023, road surfacing was in progress, which will be completed by October 2024.
* Saser Brangsa Bridge, over the Shyok River: The 345-meter long bridge with 7 piers across the Shyok River is also known as the "River of Death" due to its violent currents and severe flooding during summers and monsoons. Thus, disrupting the construction. Hence, BRO has classified this road as "Hardness Index-III" project due to the challenges in construction.
* Two branch routes from Saser Brangsa Bridge: The road splits into two branch from Saser Brangsa bridge, one going north to Gapshan-DBO and the other going southeast to Murgo junction of DSDBO road.
** Saser Brangsa-Murgo Road, 18 km: At Murgo, this road connects to DSDBO Road. In December 2023, the 10.5 km black-top surfacing was complete and remaining 7.5 km black-top surfacing was in progress.
** Saser Brangsa-DBO Road, 52 km:
*** Saser Brangsa-Gapshan Road, 41.97 km: Road connectivity achieved in October 2023, the formation cutting and surfacing was in progress in December 2023, which will be completed by October 2024.
*** Two branch routes from Gapshan - both of which end at the DS-DBO Road in two different locations: Gapshan or Yapshan is a halting place at the confluence of the Chip Chap River and the Shyok River. In the past, on numerous occasions, the Chong Kumdan glacier has blocked the flow of the Shyok River forming a lake called the Gapshan Lake; once the ice dam melts, the lake drains away. From Gapshan, the Shahi Kangri group of peaks dominate the plains.
**** Gapshan-DBO Road, 10 km: At DBO, this road connects to DSDBO Road. It will be completed in 2024. This is the northern branch route.
**** Gapshan-Track Junction Road, 21 km: From Gapshan to Trak Junction (on DS-DBO road) being upgraded under ICBR Phase-III. This is the southern branch route.
* DBO-Karakoram Pass Road, 18 km: From DBO to the Karakoram Pass, via Polu Memorial. At a campground, Polu (or Pulo/Pola) is a traditional temporary shelter built using local mud, four miles north of DBO on the DBO-Karakoram Pass Road along the DBO Nala, Maj A. M. Sethi found a memorial stone left by Dr. Philips Christiaan Visser in 1935. The memorial stone inside the tent is presently maintained by India's BRO. Karakoram Pass is one of the India-China Border Personnel Meeting Point (BPMP).

## Future development
### Saser La Tunnel

The 4 km long route over the Saser La to Saser Brangsa is made of concrete interlocking tiles. This route over the high pass gets closed during the winter snowfall. Hence, to provide the all-weather connectivity a tunnel is planned under the Saser La, the wildlife approval for which was already granted in April 2022. In June 2023, the DPR (detailed project report) for it was being prepared.