Kurali–Siswan Road: UT Proposes 6-Lane Upgrade for Chandigarh Traffic Relief.

As part of the ongoing efforts to develop a comprehensive Ring Road aimed at decongesting the Chandigarh urban agglomeration, the Union Territory administration has proposed upgrading the Kurali-Siswan road to a six-lane national highway.

The proposal was presented during a recent meeting held in Delhi under the aegis of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH). Chaired by the MoRTH Secretary, the meeting focused on the construction of the Ring Road around the Chandigarh-Panchkula-Mohali urban area and deliberated on various solutions for traffic decongestion. Representatives from stakeholder states, including the Home Secretary of UT Chandigarh, were in attendance.

The Home Secretary for UT Chandigarh specifically sought the conversion of the existing 4-lane Kurali-Siswan road into a 6-lane national highway. Currently, this road is a non-standard 4-lane facility under the jurisdiction of the Punjab government and is managed on a Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT) basis.

According to an official present at the meeting, MoRTH is open to considering the upgradation project, provided the Punjab government agrees to hand over control of the road to the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The rationale behind the UT's proposal is to ease traffic flow, particularly for vehicles travelling towards Chandigarh from Himachal Pradesh and parts of Punjab via the rapidly developing New Chandigarh area, the official explained. Relatedly, plans are also underway for a 4-lane road connecting Majri Chowk near New Chandigarh (located on the Kurali-Siswan road) to the industrial belt of Baddi-Barotiwala. A Detailed Project Report (DPR) for this 18-km stretch is being finalised.

The proposal for the Kurali-Siswan upgrade comes as the long-planned Ring Road around Chandigarh is beginning to materialise, with several related infrastructure projects now in various stages of implementation or pre-implementation. Key components of this wider initiative include:

• The six-lane Ambala-Chandigarh greenfield corridor, currently under construction and expected to finish by the year-end. With an estimated capital cost of around ₹1,700 crore, it includes a 6-lane main section and 4-lane spurs connecting to Lalru (around 6 km) and the PR-7 road in Mohali (around 11 km), aimed at decongesting key areas like Zirakpur, Lalru, Mohali, and Chandigarh.


• The four-lane Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh road project, also under construction at a capital cost of ₹1,700 crore, is anticipated to be completed by mid-2026. This project starts from the end of the recently operational Pinjore bypass.


• Four-laning of the Siswan-Baddi road is also listed among the key Ring Road projects.


• The six-lane Zirakpur bypass, which received Union Cabinet approval in April this year, is another critical piece. Spanning 19.2 km with a total capital cost of ₹1878.31 crore, this bypass is designed to ease congestion in Zirakpur, Panchkula, and surrounding areas by diverting traffic and providing direct connectivity towards Himachal Pradesh.

The combined completion of these projects, including the proposed Kurali-Siswan upgrade, is expected to significantly improve connectivity and traffic management within and around the Chandigarh urban complex.