Traffic diversion for overpass a Herculean task for Solan administration

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, September 25

Vehicular traffic has assumed its usual pace after the opening of the state’s borders due to which its diversion, in order to pave the way for an overpass, has become a Herculean task for the district administration.

The overpass is being constructed as part of the four-laning project of the National Highway (NH)-5 from Parwanoo to Solan by GR Infraprojects, a private company. With nearly 92 per cent of the four-laning work having been completed, this was the major work for which excavation work was underway.

Since uninterrupted work is required to be undertaken, the company officials have requested the district administration to halt vehicular traffic at Saproon Chowk for at least two or three months.

As per the proposed plan mooted by the company, vehicles plying on the highway would have to be diverted through the Gurdwara Road and vehicles entering Solan town from Saproon Chowk will have to take a longer detour from Chambaghat. The project entails an expenditure of about Rs 15 crore. The district administration is yet to take any decision on traffic diversion.

The construction of the overpass will take at least six months as the project involves laying a retaining wall all along the excavated hill, followed by the construction of a 150-m service road in the first phase. A 22×12 m box would be excavated in the next phase and the local traffic will be diverted from the slabs constructed above it. A four-lane ramp would finally be constructed in the last phase for diverting traffic on the national highway.

Vehicles on the Chandigarh-Shimla route and vice versa will use the overpass for commuting on the highway, informed Balwinder Singh, project manager, GR Infraprojects.

The diversion of traffic is not only a major decision for the district administration but since the highway is used by VVIPs too for commuting to Shimla from Delhi and Chandigarh, it would inconvenience the commuters. Ideally, the traffic diversion should have been done when there were restrictions on inter-state movement as it would have involved lesser hassle. Though the company officials had requested for it earlier, the administration did not accede to their demand.

Solan SP Abhishek Yadav, when contacted, said diverting traffic for the Saproon overpass was a major challenge and there were some proposals which would be deliberated upon to ensure that the project was also given space for construction and vehicular movement was not affected. Since the traffic has witnessed a major increase in the last few days, a planned diversion of traffic would be executed to facilitate all.