01-08-2025
All decks cleared for Zirakpur ring road project, work starts by end of 2025
In a significant development that will ease traffic congestion in Zirakpur and its surrounding areas, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has given its approval for a six-lane bypass that will serve as an alternative route for Himachal-bound traffic. Originally launched in 2013, the project was halted in February 2014 after landowners approached the court demanding higher compensation. (HT file)
Lying on the intersection of two major highways – National Highways 5 & 7, Zirakpur is prone to major traffic snarls.
The bypass, spanning nearly 19.2 km, will start at the Patiala-Zirakpur light point on NH-7 and terminate at the old Panchkula light point on NH-5, helping the Shimla-bound traffic completely avoid the Zirakpur bottleneck. Similarly, traffic from Shimla heading towards Ambala or Delhi will also be able to bypass Zirakpur.
The new bypass will also serve as an alternative route from Panchkula to the Mohali international airport terminal, helping traffic avoid Chandigarh city altogether. This, in turn, will reduce burden on Chandigarh's major roads like Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg. The Chandigarh Master Plan has long recommended such an infrastructure to reroute inter-state traffic for improved city traffic management.
Originally launched in 2013, the project was halted in February 2014 after landowners approached the court demanding higher compensation. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) revived it in November last year during a meeting of the Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA). At the meeting, an NHAI official cited the rising traffic in the Tricity area due to rapid urban expansion in Mohali, Zirakpur, and Panchkula and pushed for the ring road.
An NHAI official said that tenders have already been floated for the project that is estimated to cost around ₹1,900 crore. Bidding will start on August 19.
The official said, 'We have received clearance from the environment ministry and have floated the tenders. We hope to begin work by the end of this year and aim to complete it within two years.'
