Mumbai, Aug. 12 -- NHAI said remaining work to convert the Pinjore-Baddi-Nalagarh highway to four lanes will begin this month. A fresh tender for the Rs 3.78 billion (bn) 34-km project was awarded in late July and work is expected to finish by the end of 2028. The contractor has been given two years to complete the project.
The upgrade will include concrete service lanes for local residents, paved shoulders and separate stormwater and domestic wastewater drains to improve connectivity between Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. One drain is complete and the system will prevent wastewater from local establishments reaching the carriageway. Service roads will be at least seven metres wide where space permits and built in concrete.
Most of the stretch is two-lane; two additional lanes will be added and the existing carriage reconstructed to national norms. Each of the four lanes will be three point five metres wide, producing an overall carriageway of 15 metres. A one point five-metre paved shoulder will be provided on either side of the highway. Stretches beyond the Nalagarh sub-station that are already four-lane will be strengthened rather than rebuilt.
Approved in April 2009 and launched in April 2022, the project faced delays over land compensation and soil extraction permissions. Around 17.6 km of the highway falls in Himachal Pradesh, with the remainder in Haryana. The original contract, awarded in April 2022 with a 30-month target, had achieved only around 38 per cent by December 2024, prompting a deadline revision and contractor termination in February 2025. Fresh tendering was initiated and the present award seeks to accelerate progress.
The scheme includes 104 culverts, 16 minor bridges and five major bridges and links the industrial belt of Baddi and Nalagarh, carrying around 20,000 vehicles daily. Prolonged delay has caused congestion, potholes, dust and disruption to industrial traffic along the route. NHAI reported that machinery will be deployed this month and the four-laning will extend up to the Nalagarh sub-station.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Construction World.