- Prime Minister Modi to inaugurate three highway projects in Chandigarh Tricity on July 17
- Zirakpur-Kurali Greenfield Highway, 31.23 km, Rs 1,936 crore, is completed and ready for use
- Two new projects: Zirakpur Bypass and Chandigarh Airport-Aerocity Greenfield Highway to begin
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to visit Punjab on Friday (July 17) to inaugurate three major highway projects worth Rs 5,278 crore in the Chandigarh Tricity region, aimed at improving connectivity and easing traffic congestion.
PM Modi will dedicate the Zirakpur-Kurali Greenfield Highway to the nation and lay the foundation stone for two others - Zirakpur Bypass and Chandigarh Airport-Aerocity Greenfield Highway. The initiatve is aimed at addressing the traffic congestion in the Tricity region.
What Exactly Is Going To Be Built
The largest project is the 31.23 km-long six-lane highway called Zirakpur-Kurali Greenfield Highway. The total cost of the project is Rs 1,936 crores, which has been completed and ready to be used.
PM Modi will also lay foundation stones for two other projects, including a 19.20 km-ong Zirakpur Bypass Highway (6 lanes) worth Rs 1,878 crores and 10.30 km-long Chandigarh Airport-Aerocity Greenfield Highway worth Rs 1,464 crores.
Why Does All This Traffic Go Through Chandigarh?
Chandigarh is a key transit point for traffic moving betwenn Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir. As a result, a large number of vehicles pass through the city everyday, leading to frquent congestion at major intersections.
Residents of Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula often face traffic congestion as a large volume of vehicles travelling between neighbouring states passes through the Tricity. The new projetcs aim to divert through traffuc onto alternative routes, reducing pressure on city roads and improving local commuting.
The project is also expected to improve connectivity to Chandigarh International Airport. One of the highway links will connect the airport with Aerocity, reducing travel time and making access to the airport faster and more convenient for passengers.
More Than Just Traffic
However, the project's benefit extend beyond easing traffic congestion in the Tricity. Better and faster roads usually mean lower costs of the freight movement, with officials hoping the infrastructire boost will support trade, tourism and economic ectivity, while also cutting travel time.
Better road connectivity also attracts more investments into the region, so the authorities believe that the new projects will be beneficial for the economy of the area. So far there were no major problems with the development of the economy of the region, so officials hope that the projects will improve it even more.
Not Only Infrastructure
PM Modi's visit comes at a time when the state is witnessing several political developments ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections. The BJP's aim is to gain a foothold in Punjab and road connectivity is the key focus area for the party's development agenda in the state.
These projects align well with the government's strategy of promoting economic development and providing relief of the local residents. Whether the expected traffic relief materialises as quickly as planned, the projects are being viewed as a step towards addressing the problem.
