NHAI nears completion of key Shimla-Kangra highway section

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) is on track to complete the 18.3-km Package 5B of the Shimla-Kangra four-lane highway project, spanning from Kangra to Bhangwar Ranital, by December 2024. Currently, over 90 per cent of this section is complete, featuring several key infrastructure developments, including a major bridge over the Bathu river and a dozen smaller bridges.

This section’s highway expansion required significant hillside cutting, which is now finished. Additionally, construction of twin-tube tunnels is in the final stages, with the tunnels expected to shorten the route between Daultapur and Kangra by 8 km. This part of the project alone has an estimated cost of Rs 1,100 crore.

Meanwhile, the construction of the Baner river flyover near Tanda Medical College is progressing quickly. Concrete pillars are already installed, and work has begun on laying concrete slabs.

The Ghatta toll plaza infrastructure is also set up, with equipment currently undergoing testing. After successful testing, a tender for toll collection is expected before the end of December, although the toll tariffs are yet to be finalized, pending approval from NHAI’s New Delhi headquarters.

The larger 225-km Shimla-Kangra highway project, expected to complete by December 2025, is divided into five packages, incorporating nine tunnels and four high-rise bridges to bypass towns like Darlaghat, Bilaspur, Hamirpur and Jwalamukhi.

These design improvements, with a speed limit of 60 km/h, will reduce travel time between Kangra and Shimla from six hours to four hours by car, cutting the route’s length by 45 km. The new alignment, utilising much of the existing NH-88 (now NH-103), will bypass major bottlenecks to minimise displacement and enhance road safety with fewer curves, reducing accident risks and fuel consumption for road users.