Mohali IT City–Kurali Expressway opened for vehicles on Monday. The new expressway will bring relief for commuters by slashing travel time by nearly 45 minutes. The expressway, which will be a boon for commuters who earlier used this route, cost a pretty penny in development.
As per a media report by the Tribune, the expressway cost close to Rs 1,525.3 crore. The six-lane, access-controlled Greenfield corridor allows vehicles to travel at speeds of up to 100 kmph, offering uninterrupted, signal-free movement between Mohali and Kurali.
The new expressway is expected to decongest the overcrowded Airport Road in Mohali, as interstate traffic that does not need to pass through Mohali or Kharar can now take this bypass directly from IT City Chowk to Kurali, skirting and bypassing both towns to ensure that travellers zoom past areas prone to traffic congestion.
Total Length and Width
The expressway spans 31.23 km and has a carriageway width ranging from 12.5 metres to 13.5 metres, including paved shoulders and two-metre earthen shoulders. It has been built with heavy-grade infrastructure, featuring three major bridges, five minor bridges, seven flyovers, 23 underpasses, and 83 culverts, ensuring smooth, grade-separated crossings throughout. A toll plaza has been established at chainage 19.600 near Ajheri village, though toll collection is yet to be commissioned.
The opening brings to an end a project that has faced repeated delays in the past. The project was delayed due to incessant monsoon rains and the farmer protest on November 24. The barricades were lifted once the National Highways Authority of India agreed to review a service road linkage for local access. After that, the shifting of high-tension wires became a hurdle, which was soon cleared as well.
Its only the 2nd part of the overall Corridor package
The new corridor forms Package-2 of the ₹3,166.96 crore, 61.23 km Chandigarh–Ambala six-lane highway, connecting IT City Chowk in Mohali to Kurali via the Kurali–Siswan Road. The highway, built over 215 hectares, is designed as a high-embankment bypass to offload traffic from congested urban stretches in Mohali, Kharar, and Kurali, while improving regional connectivity between Delhi, Haryana, Chandigarh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir. hence even this short patch in the overall plan has been finalized after extensive delays, making the overall project a significant pipe dream.
NHAI officials said that the expressway will significantly improve travel efficiency, road safety, and logistics movement, while accelerating real estate and economic activity in IT City, New Chandigarh, Kharar, and Kurali. The other package of the corridor is close to 75% complete and is targeted for opening by May 2026, after which the full Chandigarh–Ambala expressway will be operational as a key component of the Tricity ring road network.
Why It’s So Important
The said expressway will cut the Mohali–Kurali travel time by about 45 minutes. It will also divert interstate traffic away from Mohali and Kharar. If that’s not all, it will further help flyers by easing congestion on Airport Road. Commuters travelling to Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu & Kashmir will benefit as it strengthens the emerging Tricity ring road network, and the Greater Mohali area will also gain from this development.
