Chandigarh: Heritage committee clears PGIMER-Sarangpur flyover proposal

Indian Express

6 days ago

The Chandigarh Heritage Conservation Committee (CHCC) has granted clearance for the proposed flyover on the stretch between the PGIMER and Sarangpur.
The proposed four-lane structure will have a carriageway width of 17.5 metres and an overall width of 19.1 metres. The estimated cost of the project is around Rs 90 crore.
An official confirmed that the committee recently approved the plan during a meeting. The next phase of the project will begin after the formal minutes are received.
The flyover aims to ease regular traffic snarls, especially during peak hours, on the busy route connecting the PGIMER with the Botanical Garden in Sarangpur.
The UT Road Safety Committee had earlier flagged this stretch as a major congestion zone and recommended urgent intervention. It identified five major traffic choke points in Chandigarh, with the road leading to Khuda Lahora and Khuda Jassu being the most problematic. These areas face regular traffic jams due to a lack of footpaths, encroachments, school-related vehicle parking, poor drainage, and erratic stopping of auto-rickshaws. Unregulated U-turns further worsen the situation.
To address these issues, the committee suggested multiple corrective measures. These include constructing a flyover from near Khuda Jassu bridge to the Botanical Garden, shifting the school boundary wall to create footpaths, removing illegal encroachments, and widening the road to 200 feet towards Mullanpur.
The flyover project, initially conceived in 2020, had been put on hold due to the pandemic. Once complete, the flyover will provide signal-free movement for commuters travelling towards New Chandigarh and Baddi in Himachal Pradesh and will also benefit the upcoming institutional and residential developments in Sarangpur, including the planned PGIMER extension campus.
Before construction begins, necessary environmental and design approvals will be obtained, an official said.