10 years on, Chandigarh’s first-ever flyover project set to take off finally

Chandigarh: After nearly a decade since it was first conceptualised and seven years after receiving approval from the Centre, construction on the controversial Industrial Area flyover-rotary-underpass project is finally set to take off.The ministry of road transport and Highways (MoRTH) on Monday instructed the Union Territory’s chief engineer to issue the Letter of Award (LOA) on priority to the lowest bidder. The financial bids were opened last month by a screening committee set up by the ministry.MoRTH has granted approval to award the contract to the lowest bidder, whose offer is 31% below the tender cost. The ministry has directed the successful bidder to furnish additional performance security of Rs 4.73 crore.The entire project is expected to be completed in about 30 months.The ambitious infrastructure project includes a six-lane flyover with a rotary and an underpass, designed to provide a signal-free corridor at the heavily congested Industrial Area chowk, which handles over 1.5 lakh vehicles daily. The 1.6-km-long flyover will run from the GMCH-32 roundabout to the railway overbridge towards Hallomajra on Dakshin Marg. It features a 25.5-metre-wide carriageway and has been designed for a speed of 80 kmph.The project had been stuck for nearly five years after the Punjab and Haryana High Court imposed a stay on the felling of around 700 trees. The stay was finally vacated in April 2024, clearing the decks for execution.Preliminary works, including utility shifting and traffic diversion planning, are scheduled to commence later this month. Once completed, the flyover is expected to significantly reduce travel time and ease traffic movement for commuters travelling between Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula.BOX1: THE PROJECTTotal length | 1.6 kmElevated road on Dakshin Marg | 1.14 kmUnderpass on Purv Marg | 519mElevated rotary | 74m in diameterTIMELINE2016: The project was conceptualised and planned.2019: MoRTH approved the project with an allocation of Rs 183 crore in February 2019.2019: After the tendering process, the winning bid for the project completion was Rs 137 crore. UT issued a letter of award (LOA) on November 19, 2019.2019: Acting on a public interest litigation (PIL) regarding the cutting of trees for the project, the Punjab & Haryana High Court granted a stay on the project on November 20, 2019.2024: The HC dismissed the PIL, paving the way for the construction of the flyover on April 30, 2024.2025: In July MoRTH approval granted for the construction of the project with a budget of Rs 247 crore2026: MoRTH approve issuance of LOABox2: CONTROVERSY AROUND THE PROJECTThe project continues to face opposition from some architects and environmentalistsFlyovers violate Chandigarh Master Plan-2031Damage to the city’s heritage characterVisual pollution in the City BeautifulRisk of shifting congestion rather than solving itImpact on silence zones near hospitalsCutting of more than 700 treesDuring construction, residents should expect traffic diversions and temporary road closures on Dakshin MargConsistent opposition from the UT Urban Planning Department, warning that the project lacked necessary planning approvalsBOX3: IN HIGH COURTIn May 2024, the Punjab and Haryana High Court vacated the stay on tree-cutting, observing that Chandigarh “could not continue to remain the same” and that delays had “set the city back by a decade.”Though currently there is no stay on the project, the matter is still under judicial lens in another writ petition, which challenges the project on multiple grounds.