The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) announced that a stretch connecting Sector-12/12-A and Sector-20/21 dividing roads, which leads to the Panchkula-Shimla Expressway, was closed due to the ongoing construction of two underpasses on the national highway. It was stated by NHAI officials that individuals using these two stretches would need to seek alternate routes to reach their destinations. The NHAI officials further provided information, stating that the structures for the underpasses on the expressway had been completed. They mentioned that in order to connect these underpasses with Sector-12/12-A and Sector-20/21 dividing roads, approach roads on both sides would be demolished, allowing for the construction of a new road beneath the expressway. Additionally, they stated that a road above these underpasses would also be constructed and linked to the expressway.
According to the officials, the completion of this work was estimated to take at least three to four months. The NHAI initiated the construction of underpasses for both sides of the expressway on March 30, 2023. Although the deadline for completing the work was March 31, 2024, it has not yet been finished. The officials attributed the delay to heavy rainfall throughout the year, stating that the work would be concluded within the next three to four months.
Due to the closure of this stretch of the expressway, traffic towards the Sector-20 lights point under the expressway from the Sector-12-A/Industrial Area Phase-I dividing road will also be affected. For individuals traveling from Dhakoli to Sector-20, it was advised by the officials that they could utilize the newly constructed single-lane flyover towards Zirakpur. The closure of the road will likely inconvenience the residents of Sector-20, which has a high population density due to the presence of residential housing societies in the area.
