Chandigarh, May 18 -- Conceived a decade ago as a solution to chronic congestion at one of the city's busiest entry points, the proposed Tribune Chowk flyover has evolved into a contentious, long-delayed infrastructure project-caught between rising traffic pressure, escalating costs and a larger debate over Chandigarh's planning philosophy. The Punjab and Haryana high court has stayed the felling/lopping of trees for the flyover, placing the project in uncertainty. The UT administration has indicated that it is not planning to approach the Supreme Court for now, and is reviewing its options. A top official confirmed that the administration will wait for final observation of the court. The project was conceived in 2016 after traffic studies showed that most of the traffic coming to the city passes through this junction. The primary trigger was severe traffic congestion at Tribune Chowk as around 1.5 lakh vehicles pass through it daily. The chowk handles traffic coming from Zirakpur, Delhi, Panchkula and industrial areas, leading to prolonged peak-hour jams. It sits on a regional mobility corridor (NH-5/Dakshin Marg belt) and acts as a funnel for the tricity traffic (Chandigarh-Panchkula-Mohali/Zirakpur). A former UT administration engineer, who was involved in conceptualisation of the project, said that it is not just a local intersection. It carries inter-city traffic which planners say requires signal-free movement. Defending the project, the administration argued that Chandigarh's infrastructure was under stress due to changing demographics as the city was originally planned for 5 lakh people, But the tricity population has crossed 15 lakh, significantly increasing vehicular load. Engineers associated with the project conceptualised it as a grade-separation solution-aimed at enabling uninterrupted flow of through traffic at a junction handling heavy inter-city movement. "The project was conceived as part of a grade-separation strategy, involving a 1.6-km elevated corridor integrated with a rotary and an underpass system to streamline traffic movement at the junction. The primary objective is to reduce waiting time at signals and improve the average travel speed for commuters passing through the corridor," said a former engineer, who didn't wish to be named in view of ongoing litigation. Although the project received formal approval in 2019, it remained stalled for nearly 4-5 years, largely due to legal challenges and environmental concerns. Litigation over tree felling and heritage impact repeatedly halted execution. The high court recently stayed tree axing again, effectively pausing progress. Officials admitted in court that prolonged litigation since 2019 has "stalled the city's progress by a decade", delaying implementation and affecting public convenience. The flyover's cost trajectory reflects the impact of prolonged delays and litigation. Initially estimated at around Rs.130-137 crore when the project was conceptualised around 2016, the cost rose to Rs.183.74 crore at the time of its sanction in 2019. The latest approved cost pegged at Rs.247.07 crore. Traffic studies in 2019 clearly showed that Tribune Chowk is one of the busiest junctions in the city, recording peak hour volumes of around 12,500 passenger car units (PCU) per hour, which is well above the threshold prescribed for grade separation. The study suggested, as per IRC:92 guidelines, an interchange or flyover is justified when traffic exceeds 10,000 PCU per hour. An official, wishing not to be named, said, "The corridor from Medical Chowk to Poultry Farm Chowk is a critical interstate link, serving traffic coming from Delhi, Shimla and Zirakpur. The project was conceptualised keeping in view not just present congestion, but traffic demand over the next 40-50 years, especially with increasing connectivity to Mohali, Panchkula and surrounding industrial and commercial areas." Grade separation at Tribune Chowk is expected to ensure safer and congestion-free movement, reduce vehicle operating costs, cut down pollution levels and enable smoother dispersal of traffic across the city. Given the sustained peak-hour pressure at over 12,000 PCU, maintaining the existing at-grade junction is not viable in the long run without major intervention. However, the project has triggered strong resistance from urban planners, environmentalists and citizen groups. Petitioners before the high court argued that the Master Plan 2031 prioritises public transport, cycling and pedestrian movement. Flyovers are not aligned with Chandigarh's original design ethos. Such infrastructure may shift congestion rather than solve it....