Traffic tangle: Solan’s roads fail to keep pace with growth

With road expansion failing to match the surge in vehicular traffic, Solan is grappling with daily gridlocks that have turned even short commutes into time-consuming ordeals. From morning till late evening, major stretches of the town remain clogged, forcing motorists to spend considerable time and fuel navigating narrow, overburdened roads.

The worst affected is Mall Road, where residents say it now takes at least half an hour to cross the stretch, causing immense inconvenience, especially during peak hours. The situation is no better on Rajgarh Road, which leads to the regional hospital and several private hospitals. With buses moving to and from Sirmaur and emergency fire services located along the same stretch, the constant stream of vehicles often results in day-long queues.

The only major expansion in recent years, the Shamti bypass, built to divert heavy vehicles coming from Sirmaur, has also failed to ease the situation. A substantial portion of the bypass sank during the monsoon, forcing authorities to close it to heavy traffic. It remains open only to small vehicles, compelling larger trucks to pass through Rajgarh Road and Mall Road, further worsening congestion in the heart of Solan.

Despite the city’s population expanding at a rapid pace over the past 25 years, successive state governments have made no significant push to create arterial routes to channel internal traffic. Solan’s population has grown from 21,751 in 1991 to 39,256 in 2011 and now stands at 51,829 in 2025, as per the Municipal Corporation’s parivar register enumeration. Yet, the road infrastructure remains largely unchanged.

The MC, struggling with limited funds, is barely able to repair internal roads damaged by rains, let alone plan long-term mobility solutions for a growing urban centre.

With traffic congestion rarely finding space in political priorities, residents are left to endure routine jams, even ambulances and emergency services often struggle to move through traffic-choked stretches. The problem escalates during political rallies and fairs, when the city sees an influx far beyond what its narrow roads can handle.