Chandigarh, July 26 — The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has given in-principle approval to the revised cost of ₹240 crore for the long-pending Tribune Chowk flyover project, paving the way for its fresh tendering and eventual construction.
According to a senior UT official, the green signal was received during a meeting with top ministry functionaries in Delhi. “With the revised estimate now cleared, a new tender will be floated shortly. Once awarded, construction is expected to take around 16 to 18 months,” he said.
Initially sanctioned on February 11, 2019, at ₹183.74 crore, the 1.6-km-long flyover was designed to begin 200 metres beyond the GMCH-32 roundabout, pass over Tribune Chowk on NH-5, and end about 300 metres after the railway overbridge on Dakshin Marg. The foundation stone had been laid on March 3, 2019, as the intersection recorded a daily vehicular load of over 1.43 lakh, including 1.35 lakh PCUs (Passenger Car Units).
However, the project faced significant delays after the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the cutting of 700 trees along Dakshin Marg and Purv Marg in response to a petition filed by the Run Club. The stay order, issued on November 20, 2019, effectively halted progress on the flyover and underpass planned at the congested Tribune Chowk.
That impasse ended on May 1 this year when the High Court lifted the stay, observing that its earlier decision had pushed Chandigarh back by a decade. “The city was conceptualised in the 1950s, and it cannot remain frozen in time,” the Bench remarked while allowing tree-cutting to proceed.
Subsequently, the UT Engineering Department submitted an updated project estimate of nearly ₹245 crore to account for cost escalations, and sought the Centre’s approval. The revised proposal was examined and formally approved at ₹240 crore.
The flyover is expected to ease traffic bottlenecks on one of the city’s busiest intersections, significantly improving connectivity between Zirakpur and Chandigarh. With tendering now imminent, the administration hopes to put the long-delayed infrastructure upgrade back on track.
