Chandigarh, July 7: Commuters traveling between Patiala and Chandigarh can expect a seamless one-hour drive by September as the new 27.37-kilometer Mohali-Sirhind Greenfield Highway enters its final stage of development. The upcoming access-controlled corridor will merge with National Highway 44 near Sirhind, offering a major relief to travelers from Ludhiana, Barnala, Moga, and neighboring areas who currently navigate heavily congested routes.
Simultaneously, local authorities are finishing up safety improvements on connected routes to ensure a smoother transition. The double-laning of the 29-kilometer Sirhind-Patiala road, a stretch previously known for frequent safety hazards, is on track to be finished before the end of July. Patiala Deputy Commissioner Himanshu Aggarwal stated that the construction of the central divider is nearly done, with official road markings scheduled to follow immediately.
The Greenfield corridor is designed to streamline traffic by entirely steering drivers away from existing bottlenecks. Road safety experts maintained that the new four-to-six-lane highway will drop travel times between Mohali and Sirhind to just 30 minutes, allowing motorists to completely bypass the perennially jammed Landran Chowk on State Highway 12A.
National Highways Authority of India Project Director Ashim Bansal declared that the project has reached its concluding phase, though final touches are currently paused. “By the beginning of September, the road will be opened for the public,” Bansal asserted. He explained that the monsoon has temporarily delayed road markings and minor pending works. He also noted that the highway will feature two strategic arms, with one connecting near Landran and the other linking directly to IT City, Mohali.
For years, the journey between Patiala and Chandigarh has been a source of frustration for regular commuters. Mushrooming colonies with direct access points onto the older highway have long disrupted traffic flow, while the relocation of the interstate bus terminus near Urban Estate Chowk created massive bottlenecks.
Local residents and regular travelers have expressed immense relief over the upcoming opening. Kamaljit Singh, a resident of Officers’ Colony in Patiala, affirmed that the older routes left drivers thoroughly exhausted due to endless traffic signals. Sharing a similar sentiment, Gurmeet Singh Sondhi, a banker from Moga, observed that most people currently rely on a narrow, accident-prone state highway through Fatehgarh Sahib.
Although official access is barred for safety reasons, social media has already been flooded with photos and videos from eager motorists sneakily testing the stretch. NHAI officials have cautioned the public to remain patient, as the highway is officially closed for last-minute maintenance. Bansal urged commuters to avoid using the stretch prematurely, pointing out that providing timely assistance would be highly difficult in the event of a sudden vehicle breakdown.
