Mohali: The upcoming Mohali-Sirhind greenfield highway is set to bring Bathinda nearly 100km closer to Chandigarh-Mohali, reducing the road journey by around two hours and offering a major alternative to the heavily congested Chandigarh-Zirakpur-Patiala highway.Part of a proposed 135km access-controlled corridor being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Bharatmala Pariyojana, the project is expected to reduce the Chandigarh-Mohali-Bathinda distance from 231km to about 135km. Once the entire corridor is operational, travel time is projected to come down from the present four to five hours to about two to three hours.The first phase, a 27.37km Mohali-Sirhind stretch, is reported to be nearly 80% complete, with authorities targeting its opening by the end of 2026. The corridor will originate near Sectors 109 and 110 in Mohali and connect with Sirhind before extending towards Malerkotla and Sehna near Barnala, eventually linking Bathinda with the region’s expanding expressway network.The Rs 5,200 crore project has been planned to address mounting traffic pressure on NH-7, the principal route connecting Chandigarh with Patiala, Sangrur, Barnala and Bathinda. According to NHAI sources, the highway currently carries over 40,000 passenger car units (PCUs) daily against an estimated capacity of around 25,000 PCUs. Further widening of the existing route has become increasingly difficult because of urbanisation and the presence of commercial and educational establishments along the corridor.The Mohali-Sirhind stretch will pass through 28 villages, including Bhago Majra, Raipur Kalan, Maujpur, Bharatpur, Girdarpur, Machhli Kalan, Machhli Khurd, Pawala, Patton, Bhagatpur, Daulatpur, Tajpur, Bhuya Kheri, Jhampur, Rampur, Baras, Bibipur, Dangeria, Dabwali Khera, Ramgarh, Randhawa, Matthi, Kotla, Suleman, Jamiatgarh, Saidpura and Bhat Majra.Officials say the corridor will significantly improve regional connectivity by linking with several major highway networks, including the Delhi-Amritsar national highway, the Delhi-Jammu-Khanna expressway corridor, the Ludhiana-Malerkotla highway, the Ludhiana-Bathinda expressway and the proposed Ambala-Kurali greenfield corridor.
