Central govt gives nod to Rs 247-cr grant for Tribune flyover

After nearly a decade of waiting and over five years of legal wrangling, the much-delayed Tribune Chowk flyover project is finally set to take off.

In a major infrastructural push for Chandigarh, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has accorded financial sanction of Rs 247.07 crore for the construction of a six-lane 1.65-km-long flyover, rotary and underpass on NH-05. The project promises to provide long-awaited relief from chronic congestion at Chandigarh’s busiest traffic junction.

The sanction order, issued on September 24 by MoRTH Under Secretary Shashi Bhooshan Kumar, and received here on Monday, a copy of which is with The Tribune, conveyed the President’s approval for the project in the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) mode. The approval follows the submission of the revised cost estimate of Rs 245.09 crore by the UT Engineering Department on May 28 this year.

The sanction letter details the cost components, including Rs 166.56 crore for civil construction, including pavement, drainage, protection works, traffic signage, rotary, and underpass, Rs 19.64 crore for electrical utility shifting, including dismantling and re-erection of 11 KV lines and cost of 66 KV transmission material, Rs 33.52 crore GST @18%, and Rs 27.35 crore for contingencies, maintenance, agency and supervision charges, and escalation.

This takes the total project cost to Rs 247.07 crore, which will be borne by MoRTH. The UT will deposit an additional Rs 35.54 crore towards shifting of public health utilities, which will form part of the civil cost. As per the sanction order, expenditure phasing has been fixed as Rs 131.44 crore expenditure for 50% physical progress in 2025-26, Rs 239.70 crore expenditure for 100% completion in 2026-27 and Rs 7.37 crore for maintenance from 2027-28 to 2036-37.

The project is to be completed within 16-18 months of award of work, with one side of the existing two-way stretch to remain open for vehicular traffic during construction.

With the sanction in place, the UT Engineering Department has begun the process to float fresh tenders by October 15, paving the way for the execution of the city’s most crucial road infrastructure projects.

Approved in 2016, sanctioned in 2019 at Rs 183.74 crore, and even awarded that year, the project was stalled when the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed its construction after a PIL challenged tree felling. The litigation dragged on till April last year when the PIL was dismissed.

By then, the costs had spiralled. The UT submitted a revised estimate of Rs 245.09 crore in May this year, which has now been sanctioned at Rs 247.07 crore — a 33.39% escalation over the 2019 award price.

Confirming the development, UT Engineering Secretary Prerna Puri said: “Fresh bids will be invited shortly in line with the decision taken at the high-level meeting chaired by the MoRTH Secretary.”

UT Chief Engineer CB Ojha added: “The sanction has come through, and we are targeting October 15 for floating the tender. The flyover will be completed in 16-18 months of award. One side of the existing road will remain open for traffic throughout construction.”

WHY IT MATTERS

The Tribune Chowk, at the intersection of Dakshin Marg and Purv Marg, handles over 1.5 lakh vehicles daily, including 1.4 lakh passenger car units. Chaotic jams at the roundabout affect not only Chandigarh but also Mohali and Panchkula, making it a regional bottleneck.

“The new flyover and underpass will significantly ease congestion not only at Tribune Chowk but across the Tricity road network, benefitting commuters from Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula. We have also directed our regional office in Chandigarh to prepare a separate DPR for decongesting the Old Airport Chowk, Hallomajra T-point, and Hallomajra Chowk, all key choke points on the NH-05,” said Nitin Gadkari, Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways.