E-Paper
Centre greenlights six-lane Zirakpur bypass
19-km bypass aimed at decongesting Zirakpur-Chandigarh corridor by diverting Himachal-bound traffic from Delhi, Haryana, Patiala and Mohali
If all goes well, in a little over two years, commuters stuck on the perpetually clogged Zirakpur-Chandigarh stretch may finally find the much-awaited relief.
Hanging in the balance since 2013, the long-delayed Zirakpur bypass project is finally set to take off as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved its construction on Wednesday.
To be built at a cost of ₹1,878.31 crore under the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, the 19.2-km, six-lane bypass, spanning Punjab and Haryana, will connect NH-7 (Zirakpur-Patiala) with NH-5 (Zirakpur-Parwanoo).
The project aims to decongest the overburdened Zirakpur-Chandigarh corridor by primarily diverting Himachal Pradesh-bound traffic from Delhi, Haryana, Patiala and Mohali.
Key chokepoints such as the Zirakpur-Patiala light point, Big Bazaar junction, Airport Road and K-Area point are expected to see reduced congestion.
Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called the project the first of several to form a full Ring Road that will decongest the rapidly growing urban areas around Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula.
The new road will begin at the Patiala-Zirakpur light point on NH-7, pass McDonald’s on the Ambala-Zirakpur highway, and travel through Peer Muchalla, Sanauli, Gazipur, Nagla and Panchkula, before merging with NH-5 at the Old Panchkula light point (between Sectors 20 and 21).
From the Panchkula end as well, it will offer seamless, signal-free connectivity from the Chandimandir Western Command headquarters to Mohali airport—eliminating the need to pass through the congested Zirakpur-Chandigarh stretch.
The Chandigarh Master Plan also supports this bypass as a crucial link to divert interstate traffic and improve vehicular flow around Chandigarh.
Work on the project had originally begun in 2013, but was halted in February 2014 after some landowners went to court, seeking higher compensation.
But in November 2024, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) brought the project back on track, inviting bids for construction. Once work is allotted, the bypass is expected to be ready in two years.
According to NHAI officials, the rapid development of Zirakpur, Mohali and Panchkula—and satellite towns like Dera Bassi, Kharar, Morinda, New Chandigarh and Pinjore—has led to a significant surge in vehicular movement, compounding traffic challenges across the region.
In September 2024, during a meeting of the 23-member Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA), chaired by UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria, NHAI had delivered a presentation on the bypass project to tackle the rising traffic woes.
New link to connect HP with PGIMER
To further cut travel time for patients from Himachal Pradesh visiting PGIMER, a separate four-lane road from Majri Chowk in Mullanpur to Baddi via Siswan is also in the pipeline.
Currently, commuters have to manoeuvre through a single road from Baddi to New Chandigarh to reach PGIMER, causing regular bottlenecks.
Both roads form part of a broader decongestion strategy for the Tricity region.
