Trial successful, Chambaghat flyover to be thrown open soon

Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Solan, August 1
With the successful trial of vehicular traffic plying unhindered over the newly constructed flyover at Chambaghat today, the NHAI will soon open it on a permanent basis.
“The traffic on the Shimla-Chandigarh route plied smoothly over the flyover for about three-four hours over two-lanes today. Small works like central marking of the lanes over the four-lane flyover are being completed and this will pave way for its permanent opening in the next few days,” informed Anand Dahiya, Project Director, NHAI, Shimla.
There are total of 19 spans on the 600 m flyover. The span over railway track at Chambaghat is the tallest, measuring 51.480 m while all other spans are of 30.5 m. The length of the approach road leading to the flyover from the Solan side is 175 m while its length from the Shimla side is 350 m, informed Dahiya.
With traffic jams being a regular feature at Chambaghat due to the railway crossing, the vehicles were often found lined up on either side of the railway track to facilitate passing of the trains.
The four-laned flyover will facilitate the commuters travelling on the Solan-Shimla route while the local traffic for Solan will pass through the roads below the flyover.
The work to construct this flyover was delayed for several months as the Kalka-Shimla railway track crossing through Chambaghat is a UNESCO world heritage track. It requires Central clearance as against the usual local level clearance in other cases.
A railway team will also inspect the flyover to examine whether footpath and a railing have been laid as per the agreed terms and conditions.
This flyover is part of the highway widening project under which 22.91-km-long Solan-Kaithlighat section of the Kalka-Shimla national highway is being four-laned. Apart from two major structures comprising a circular pier and a tunnel at Kandaghat, the remaining part of the four-lane would be completed by October.
AIREF Engineers was assigned this work in December 2018 and it was supposed to be completed in 30 months by June 2022.