Stalled 11 years ago, Zirakpur ring road project back on track

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revived the Zirakpur ring road project, stalled 11 years ago, with a fresh plan, aiming to alleviate congestion in Chandigarh by providing an alternative route for Shimla-bound traffic from Ambala.
Work on the project had originally begun in 2013 but was halted in February 2014 when some landowners went to court, seeking higher compensation.
The proposed 200-foot wide, six-lane bypass, running approximately 16.5 kilometres, will start from the Patiala-Zirakpur light point (Airport junction) and end at the old Panchkula light point. The bypass will cross McDonald’s on the Ambala-Zirakpur highway, pass through Peer Muchalla, Sanoli, Gazipur, and Nagla—all villages in Mohali—before merging with the dividing road between Sectors 20 and 21 in Panchkula.
During a meeting of the 23-member Unified Metro Transportation Authority (UMTA), chaired by UT administrator Gulab Chand Kataria on Monday, an NHAI officer delivered a presentation in which he spoke about the significant increase in traffic in the tricity area due to the rapid development of Mohali, Zirakpur, and Panchkula around Chandigarh.
The officer further explained that the NHAI has prepared a plan to construct a bypass connecting Zirakpur and Panchkula.
Once completed, Shimla-bound traffic will be able to take this road, bypassing the bottleneck at Zirakpur, and join the Shimla highway at the Panchkula end. Similarly, traffic from Shimla headed to Ambala or Delhi will be able to avoid Zirakpur altogether.
The road will also provide an alternative route from Panchkula to the new international airport terminal in Mohali, allowing traffic to avoid Chandigarh. The project is expected to prevent approximately 1.5 lakh vehicles from Punjab and Haryana from entering Chandigarh daily, thus reducing traffic congestion on the city’s arterial roads, including Madhya Marg and Dakshin Marg.
Chandigarh’s Master Plan also supports this road to divert inter-state traffic around the city for better traffic management.
During the UMTA meeting, it was proposed that the NHAI, in collaboration with stakeholders, including the governments of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, should prepare a plan for the development of the ring road. This project is to be funded on a cost-sharing basis.