Rs 3,167-cr Chandigarh-Ambala expressway nears completion

The Chandigarh-Ambala Greenfield Corridor being built at a cost of Rs 3,167 crore is nearing completion. This 61.23-km expressway, which is one of the biggest highway projects under construction over 395 hectares of land in this part of the region, will ease traffic in and around Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Panchkula, Mohali and Kharar.

It will also improve connectivity from Delhi and Haryana to Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.

The 31.23-km Package-2 of the NHAI project, which originates from the IT City Chowk in Mohali and culminates at Kurali on the Kurali-Siswan road, is 95% complete and is scheduled to open next month. Also, 65% work has been completed on the 30-km Package-1, which starts from Devinagar village on the Ambala-Hisar road and ends at IT City Chowk in Mohali, and it is slated for opening in March next year.

The NHAI officials told The Tribune that the six-lane expressway will ease local traffic significantly, improve connectivity and reduce congestion between Chandigarh and Ambala.

Part of a major initiative to improve traffic flow and logistics in the region, the expressway includes a spur connecting to Lalru and a four-lane section in Punjab.

Designed to handle the increasing traffic volume in Chandigarh, Zirakpur, Panchkula, Mohali and Kharar towns, the Greenfield Corridor’s Lalru spur will serve as a connecting section to Lalru while the four-lane section in Punjab will extend the expressway into Mohali in Punjab.

Package-1, coming up over 18 hectares, will also include 43.42-km service and slip roads to improve local access.

With seven vehicular underpasses (VUPs), one vehicular overpass (VOP), 10 large vehicular underpasses (LVUPs), two small vehicular underpasses (SVUPs), seven flyovers, two major bridges and six new minor bridges, Package-1 is being built at a cost of Rs 1,641.66 crore to enhance transportation and logistics between Chandigarh and Ambala.

Aimed at improving regional connectivity and infrastructure, Package-2, which is also known as Mohali-Kurali bypass, will cover a 30-km distance over 215 hectares from the IT City Chowk in Mohali to reach Kurali on the Kurali-Siswan major district road.

“It will be a Greenfield alignment bypassing NH-205-A to decongest urban areas, especially Mohali, Kharar and Kurali towns, serving as a bypass to these towns, which are at present witnessing a massive traffic flow,” the officials said.

This access controlled expressway with high embankment will crisscross through Greenfield lands and help decongest the Airport Road in Mohali by providing a direct access to the traffic coming from Delhi and Haryana towards the Mohali International Airport Chowk to Kurali. It will bypass Mohali, Kharar and Kurali’s internal arteries, for further reaching to major parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

Already boosting the real estate development and investment in and around IT City in Mohali, New Chandigarh, Kharar and Kurali, this second leg of the six-lane expressway will cost Rs 1,525.3-crore and significantly reduce travel time between Chandigarh and Delhi, as well as to major parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

“We are working to open Package-2 by September 30, while Package-1 is scheduled to be ready by March 31, 2026,” the NHAI functionaries disclosed.

BIGGEST PROJECT IN THIS REGION

Aimed at improving overall connectivity and traffic management, the expressway is one of the biggest highway projects in this region. It will serve as a larger network of road projects in the region, including the upcoming Zirakpur bypass, Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh road and the Siswan highway on 60-meter-wide PR-4 road connecting Chandigarh boundary to Kurali-Siswan road near Boothgarh village. It will provide a faster and major link between Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir.