Get ready for an exhilarating and swift journey on the newly constructed Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway in Himachal Pradesh. With about 99 per cent of the work completed, preparations are underway to officially open it after June 15th. Despite its impending inauguration, heavy traffic is already being observed on the four lanes. Construction is currently ongoing in Zakatkhana and Thapna. The travel time from Chandigarh to Manali will be drastically reduced to just four to four and half hours. No longer will you need to go via Bilaspur and Chandigarh to reach Manali. Instead, vehicles will pass through the first-ever four-lane tunnel between Kiratpur and Swarghat, continuing towards Sundernagar via Jurypatan. This will alleviate the congestion in Swarghat and Bilaspur, providing drivers with time and fuel savings. All five tunnels of the Kiratpur-Manali four-lane highway have been completed and are ready for traffic. A flyover is currently under construction at Zakatkhana, featuring two dual lanes. One flyover is nearly finished, with vehicles already using the service lane while the remaining lanes are being completed. Signboards, lights, and painting work are being carried out on the four-lane stretch. Two toll plazas will be installed at Baloh, on the border of Mandi and Bilaspur, and Moda in Punjab. These toll plazas will accept both digital and cash payments. The construction of both toll plazas is nearly finished. Each toll plaza will consist of seven lanes, with five lanes offering FASTag and cash payment options, and two lanes reserved for emergency vehicles and toll-exempt vehicles. The toll collection from Delhi will be managed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), and the toll tax rates will be determined thereafter. The four-lane highway has been designated as NH-154 by NHAI, although some sections will fall under the old NH-205. NH-205 includes the segment from Kiratpur to Garamora and Bhawana to Nerchowk, while the new section will be known as NH-154. The inauguration of the Kiratpur-Nerchowk four-lane highway is expected to be conducted by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, although the exact date has not yet been finalised. For beautification purposes, NHAI plans to plant a total of 36,235 saplings along the Kiratpur-Nerchowk stretch. Currently, 27,712 saplings have already been planted. The distance from Kiratpur to Nerchowk will be reduced by 37 kilometers, cutting down the existing 114 km journey to just 77 km. This will provide relief to drivers who previously had to navigate through sharp turns and bends. The travel time for this journey will be reduced to one hour, compared to the previous three and a half hours. The construction of the four-lane highway took more than Rs 42 billion and spanned a period of 10 years. NHAI undertook this project, which commenced in 2013. Construction was temporarily halted in 2017 due to the bankruptcy of the construction company, resulting in a three-year delay. The four-lane highway will include five tunnels and 37 bridges. The tunnels, including the largest Garamora tunnel measuring 1800 meters, are all two lanes wide. The tender process is currently underway for the construction of four parallel tunnels, and work is in progress for the parallel tunnel of the Garamod tunnel, expected to be completed within a year. The project also features a total of 37 bridges, consisting of 22 major and 15 minor ones. The construction of the four-lane highway has created employment opportunities, with people setting up shops, restaurants, and hotels along the route to take advantage of the increased connectivity and potential business prospects it brings. Also Read Accurate DPR and practical verification are highly essential: GadkariDalmia Bharat's blended cement finds way in major highway projects