After 2 deadlines, underpass on Zirakpur stretch to be opened soon

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Zirakpur, February 4

Thanks to The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) officials’ lackadaisical approach, the vehicular underpass near the McDonalds light point has missed the January deadline, leaving the road users in the lurch.

The officials had assured the administration that one of the underpasses on the Zirakpur-Bhankarpur stretch would be made operational in January. However, they failed to keep their word again after missing their first deadline of November 2023.

The NHAI project director, Pradeep Attri, said, “The underpasses at the McDonald’s point on the Chandigarh-Ambala national highway will be made operational in four-five days. The other underpass near the Ghaggar bridge is still under construction and will take around four months to become operational.”

Long traffic signal, ongoing construction and the movement of heavy and light vehicles on the same road lead to frequent snarl-ups on the Zirakpur-Bhankharpur stretch. The road congestion gets severe during the morning and evening office hours.

To be constructed at an estimated cost of Rs 43.28 crore, the underpasses have taken more than a year to be made operational. The 18-month deadline for both projects ended in November 2023.

In another development, the NHAI officials said two footover bridges on the highway were nearing completion and will be opened shortly.

“The footover bridge near the Decathlon store is open for pedestrians. The other near the Metro point has been erected and will become operational soon. It will have an escalator also,” Attri said.

The NHAI official said the ring road project joining traffic from the Airport Road, Panchkula and Ambala side is on course. The acquisition of land has been done. Estimates and detailed project report are being prepared, but there is still some time for it, he said, without setting any deadline for the project.

The NHAI began the construction of the two underpasses on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway near Zirakpur in July 2022. While 18-month deadline ended in November, work on both projects is likely to be completed by April. The NHAI proposes a signal-free corridor from Chandigarh to Dera Bassi. Construction is likely to start on another underpass near the Bhankharpur light point shortly.

2 footover bridges

The footover bridge near the McDonald’s light point is almost complete, while the one near the Metro point has been erected. The Metro footover bridge will have an escalator too. Residents of VIP Road, Dhakoli, Gazipur and Nagla will benefit from the two bridges.

Ring road project

An NHAI official said the ring road project joining traffic from the Airport Road, Panchkula and Ambala side was on course. The acquisition of land has been done. Estimates and detailed project report are being prepared, but there is still some time for it, he said.