A major step has been taken towards connecting Jalandhar’s under-construction Ring Road with the Delhi-Amritsar-Jammu-Katra Expressway. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has approved a ₹6.17-crore project to shift power lines that currently pass through the proposed connection point near Kang Sahbu.
The Ring Road stretch from Sarai Khas to Kang Sahbu is being developed as part of Highway 754-A and the planned connection with the expressway will provide an alternate route for traffic travelling around Jalandhar, particularly heavy vehicles heading towards Nakodar.
According to NHAI Project Director Shantanu Kumar, the power lines will be shifted within seven months and the work is expected to be awarded to a construction agency this month. The road connection is planned to be completed this year.
The land identified for the junction currently has an Amritsar-Bathinda power line passing over it. The project will involve shifting high-tension power lines belonging to the Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL) and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and the lines include 66 kV, 132 kV and 400 kV transmission lines that currently cross the alignment of the Ring Road and the expressway.
The shifting of these lines is required to create a safe connection between the two road networks.
Once the Ring Road and expressway connection becomes operational, trucks and tippers travelling towards Nakodar through Jalandhar city will have an alternate route outside the city and the move is also expected to reduce the movement of heavy vehicles through some of Jalandhar’s busy points, including Pathankot Bypass Chowk, Ramamandi and PAP Chowk.
For commuters, the project is significant because the Ring Road is intended to take through traffic away from congested city routes.
The new connectivity will also provide an alternate route for residents of Kang Sahbu and nearby villages, these include Pratappura, Miranpur, Khankhan, Hamiri Khera, Singh Gaon, Jamsher Khas, Pholdriwal, Kadianwali, Udhopur, Barsal, Shahpur and Fatehpur.
Residents travelling towards Amritsar, Pathankot, Phagwara and Ludhiana will be able to use the Ring Road instead of passing through congested stretches of Jalandhar city, so the ₹6.17-crore power-line shifting project is therefore a key requirement before the Ring Road can be connected with the expressway near Kang Sahbu.