Chandigarh, Dec 20: The much-awaited shorter road linking Chandigarh and Mohali to Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport is now expected to be fully operational by March 31, 2026, after missing its earlier December 2025 deadline, officials of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority said.
While one stretch of the ₹125-crore project will be opened to traffic by the end of this month, commuters will have to wait another three months for the entire 8.7-km corridor to become functional, GMADA officials confirmed.
The Punjab government had informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court in February this year that the project would be completed by December 2025. The revised timeline extends the wait for the shorter airport access route that aims to ease congestion and reduce travel distance.
Once completed, the 164-foot-wide road will allow vehicles from Chandigarh and Mohali to access the airport directly from the Sector 65–66 junction near Bawa White House, bypassing the longer Airport Road route.
The new alignment is expected to reduce the distance from Tribune Chowk, Chandigarh, to the airport by nearly 7 km, bringing it down from 15.8 km and significantly cutting travel time.
“At present, one stretch of the road will be made motorable by the end of this month, which will provide initial relief to commuters,” GMADA Chief Administrator Sakshi Sawhney said. “However, the entire project is expected to be completed by March 31, after which the road will be fully operational.”
GMADA awarded the construction contract in July 2024 to a Bathinda-based firm. Officials said work on a double-lane underpass beneath the railway line and a bridge over the N-choe was still in progress, contributing to the delay.
