Open House: Do you think the Zirakpur-Panchkula ring road project will help address traffic woes?

Will rid tricity of heavy vehicles

The Zirakpur-Panchkula ring road project is long overdue. Zirakpur has become a traffic bottleneck, with heavy vehicles causing blockades. Completion of the ring road project will provide alternative routes to Himachal Pradesh, Punjab and ease traffic on the highway. It will provide a bypass for heavy vehicles and hopefully traffic jams will be reduced in Zirakpur. Daily commuters to Chandigarh from Derabassi and Mohali will have a sigh of relief. The authorities should expedite this work by issuing necessary permissions/clearances.

HS Dhanoa

Needed to ease pressure on highway

Yes, the Zirakpur-Panchkula Ring Road will positively impact Tricity traffic. By diverting heavy and long-distance vehicles away from crowded areas like Zirakpur and Panchkula, it will ease pressure on major highways and local roads. Its signal-free design with flyovers and underpasses will ensure smoother, faster movement and reduce bottlenecks. The road will also improve connectivity to Chandigarh Airport and nearby states, cutting travel time and fuel use. Overall, it will help decongest the Tricity and support better, more efficient mobility.

Lakhwinder Wazir Bhullar

Can bring down number of vehicles

The bypass will definitely help reduce traffic woes. Car traffic on roads in Tricity has reached an unmanageable point. The administration is not doing enough to reduce the rush on the roads. Public transport is not up to the mark. Allowing for more public transport vehicles can also help reduce need of personal cars and the solution could include private buses and metro trains. The bypass will contribute in its own way to reduce the number of cars in the belt.

Ashok Kumar Goel, Panchkula

Long-route traffic will be diverted

The Zirakpur-Panchkula Ring Road project is expected to significantly ease traffic, divert heavy traffic away from urban areas, reduce travel time, as well as accident risk. It will provide an alternative route for traffic heading towards Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, and Patiala, and is expected to improve road safety and reduce congestion and accidents.

VK Tangri, Mohali

Traffic woes will be addressed

This six-lane bypass will serve as an alternative route for vehicles heading towards Himachal Pradesh, thereby reducing the heavy load on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway and Zirakpur's busy intersections. For years, commuters in Chandigarh, Panchkula and Mohali have faced severe traffic jams, especially at Zirakpur, which acts as a gateway to multiple states. The new ring road will divert through-traffic away from the city's core, improving travel time, reducing pollution, and enhancing road safety.

Narinder Banwait, Chandigarh

Can be effective if done in timely manner

Yes, the Zirakpur-Panchkula Ring Road has the potential to ease the Tricity's chronic traffic pressure, but only if the project is executed with discipline, coordination and long-term vision. Today, Zirakpur and its adjoining stretches suffer because transit vehicles are forced into city roads already burdened by local traffic. A functional ring road will divert this flow. But the real challenge is governance. If done right, the project can become the turning point in the Tricity's traffic story.

Vineet Gandhi, Chandigarh

Can put an end to Peak-hour problems

The planned Zirakpur-Panchkula ring road project will certainly reduce the traffic woes of tricity commuters. The commuters heading from Himachal to Punjab, Haryana and Delhi and vice versa have great relief bypassing Chandigarh and Panchkula traffic. It becomes nightmare in the morning and evening hours for the commuters travelling from Chandigarh towards Haryana, Punjab and Delhi and vice versa. The new road from Kurali all the way to Zirakpur and the ring road from Zirakpur to Panchkula will provide great relief for the commuters bypassing Mohali, Kharar and Zirakpur.

Wg Cdr JS Minhas (retd.), Mohali

The project is a win-win for tricity

The project will act as a bypass route for the Zirakpur bottleneck that will provide an alternative route for traffic to the Shimla-Kalka Highway, especially for Shimla-bound vehicles, linking it to the Pinjore, Yamunanagar, Ambala and Baddi Industrial Zones. It can also reduce pollution and ease traffic jams in the periphery of Tricity areas of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula, which will lead to urban and regional integration. In addition, this road will serve as the strategic link for the Western Command Headquarters in Chandimandir and the Chandigarh International Airport, which will enhance civil and defence mobility networks, especially during emergencies.

Vaibhav Goyal, Chandigarh

Will streamline inter-state movement

The Zirakpur-Panchkula Ring Road project is poised to significantly ease the Chandigarh Tricity's chronic traffic congestion. By creating a high-capacity bypass linking Zirakpur, Panchkula and peripheral routes, the project will divert heavy vehicles and long-distance traffic away from city centers. This reduces load on overloaded junctions like Zirakpur Light Point, Dakshin Marg and the Panchkula-Chandigarh border. The ring road will also streamline interstate movement between Punjab, Haryana, and Himachal.

Brigadier Advitya Madan, Chandigarh

Success will depend on proper planning

The proposed project's success will depend on thoughtful planning and seamless integration with existing networks. It must be supported by complementary measures such as widening of key link roads, efficient traffic management at interchanges, strict control of unplanned commercial development along the route, and improved public transport connectivity. Without these safeguards, the new road could attract additional traffic and shift congestion rather than solve it.

Harinder Singh Bhalla, Chandigarh

Certain additional safeguards required

The Zirakpur-Panchkula ring road project has significant potential to alleviate traffic congestion in the Tricity by diverting intercity and heavy vehicular movement away from the overloaded city roads, leading to smoother intra-city travel and reduced bottlenecks during peak hours. However, its impact will be maximised only if it is coupled with intelligent traffic management systems, proper access points, maintenance and enforcement against encroachments. Authorities should prioritise seamless connectivity with existing arterial roads, expand public transport integration, and promote last-mile connectivity to ensure the ring road serves as a true mobility backbone rather than just a bypass.

Gaganpreet Singh, Mohali

Ensuring quality of work will be key

The Zirakpur-Panchkula ring road to reduce the traffic woes of commuters is a feasible idea. Still, proper lanes demarcated and traffic signs should be mentioned to avoid any haphazard movement for the commuters. It should be made encroachment-free, and no vehicle parking zone should be established to enhance hassle-free movement and time-saving. Masses ought to follow traffic rules, stick to the prescribed speed limit, and keep patience to avoid accidents and any traffic casualties. Timely repair of the roads is a must.

Abhilasha Gupta, Mohali

Mass rapid transit system need of hour

Zirakpur Panchkula Ring Road is a welcome move But it offers only marginal relief to lakhs of daily commuters in tricity who endure crippling jams, rising accidents, toxic air, endless delays and huge productivity losses. Only a mass rapid transit system can deliver lasting decongestion and sustainable growth.

Col Balbir Singh (retd), Chandigarh