Smoother rides ahead as NH-105 gets lifeline

In a long-awaited relief to thousands of daily commuters navigating the under-construction Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh National Highway (NH-105), two crucial bridges at Charnia and Kiratpur have finally been replaced and opened for traffic. The bridges, damaged in the devastating flash floods of July-August 2023, were inaugurated last evening by Satindra Kumar, project manager of the executing private agency.

The newly built double-lane minor bridge at Charnia spans 37 metres, while the major four-lane bridge at Kiratpur stretches 82 metres. Together, these two structures create a continuous, smoother four-lane stretch of approximately 6–7 km — excluding a small ongoing segment still under construction.

This development has come as a major reprieve for motorists who had been enduring severe delays and hazards due to the slow progress on the 36-km highway project. For the past two years, commuters were forced to use temporary, makeshift causeways and hinge-paths — often descending into ravines and climbing back up steep gradients —especially dangerous during rains when the track turned muddy and slippery.

The situation had been particularly dire for heavy vehicles carrying industrial cargo to and from Baddi-Barotiwala-Nalagarh, the largest industrial belt of Himachal Pradesh. The collapse of the old bridges over the Charnia, Marrawala and Balad rivers had caused severe bottlenecks. While bridges over Marrawala and Balad were completed last year, the Charnia bridge saw delays due to design modifications triggered by technical challenges.

Initially planned as a smaller structure, the Charnia bridge design had to be revamped after realising the depth and width of the gorge. The new, stronger and wider bridge has doubled in size and is now capable of handling substantial traffic loads with ease.

Until now, the journey had been anything but smooth—vehicles frequently got stuck mid-path, prompting the use of tractors to haul them out, often leading to long traffic snarls and frustrated passengers stranded for hours.

Now, with the new bridges operational, a significant chunk of the highway offers uninterrupted transit, drastically reducing travel time and improving safety. However, the complete four-laning of NH-105 remains incomplete and commuters continue to await its full commissioning.

For now, though, the opening of these key bridges marks a pivotal improvement in the region’s connectivity and daily commuting experience — especially for thousands of goods-laden trucks and workers commuting between industrial BBN and Chandigarh-Panchkula.