Zirakpur underpass snarls: Alternative routes available, but of little help to motorists

Tribune News Service

Zirakpur, March 1

Take one way or the other, the travel time from Tribune Chowk to Patiala Chowk in Zirakpur remains the same. With only 30 per cent of the construction work on the vehicular underpass near the godown area on the Chandigarh-Zirkapur highway completed, commuters will have to be ready to bear the pain till the year-end. For motorists, there are two alternative routes to avoid the bottleneck, but the commuting time remains more or less the same.

Also read: Open House: What should be done to streamline traffic on Chandigarh-Zirakpur stretch?

Taxi drivers cancel rides on Chandigarh-Zirakpur stretch in peak hours

Motorists, who take the highway from Tribune Chowk to Patiala Chowk, an 8-km stretch, during peak hours, said before the construction of the underpass, it took 15 to 20 minutes, but now 45-55 minutes were wasted on a one-way journey.

The Tribune Chowk-Hallo Majra light point-Industrial Area, Panchkula-Patiala Chowk detour is 13.6 km long and the narrow road and vehicle rush make it a 40-minute ride.

The Tribune Chowk-IISER-Airport light point-Patiala Chowk detour, the longest, 23 km, has a wide road and unhindered movement, making commuting easier. However, with several light points dotting the road, the travel time is around 50 minutes.

The Punjab Public Works Department today began recarpeting work on the service lane on the Zirakpur-Chandigarh highway near the godown area to ease the movement of vehicles and cut down traffic snarls. For the past three months, road users have been complaining of potholes, loose gravel and uneven surface slowing down the movement of vehicles. The construction work on the vehicular underpass further creates a bottleneck, which leads to traffic jams for hours at end.

“The recarpeting of the service lane will allow vehicles to move quickly and prevent clogging on the stretch. The recarpeting will be done in the shortest possible time, but inconvenience for three-four days during peak hours may be there,” said a PWD official at the site.

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