Move initiated to award tender for flyover at Garkhal junction

Ambika Sharma

Solan, September 11

The financial bid for the much-awaited flyover to decongest the Garkhal junction (en route Kasauli) was opened by the Public Works Department’s Road and Infrastructure Develop Corporation (RIDC) at Shimla today.

This will pave the way for awarding the tender for the project over the next few weeks. RIDC Superintending Engineer (SE) Mahesh Rana said, “Initially, two bidders had come forward, but only one fulfilled the technicalities for the bid that was opened today. It is being evaluated. The completion of various formalities will take at least two months.”

About the project

• The flyover will start from near the bus stand at Garkhal on the Garkhal-Dharampur road and extend across the valley to the far-end of the Garkhal-Kasauli road
• The structure will have two piers and two abutments with the central pier being 85-metre high
• Since the area where the flyover is being constructed has faced no rain-inflicted fury, its construction will not be impacted

The flyover will start from near the bus stand at Garkhal on the Garkhal-Dharampur road and extend across the valley to the far-end of the Garkhal-Kasauli road. The structure will have two piers and two abutments with the central pier being 85-m high.

Since the area where the flyover is being constructed has faced no rain-inflicted fury, its construction would not be impacted.

Formalities to take 2 months

Initially, two bidders had come forward, but only one fulfilled the technicalities for the

bid that was opened on Monday. The completion of various formalities will take at least two months. —Mahesh Rana, Superintending Engineer

The flyover will prove helpful, if the traffic is diverted from the Parwanoo-Dharampur section of the National Highway-5 in case of an eventuality, as the narrow junction was inadequate to bear the traffic.

Larsen and Toubro surveyed the area in June 2022 and an estimate of Rs 27 crore was prepared initially. However, the amount was later reduced to Rs 22 crore.

Since five single-lane narrow roads converge at the junction, a flyover is direly required. Traffic snarls on these narrow roads often cause inconvenience to the tourists as well as local residents, especially in the peak tourist season.

The formalities for availing the lease of a piece of land owned by the Railways and undertaking the compulsory afforestation in lieu of the axing of trees were being complied with.

“Fifty-seven trees will be axed for the 200-m-long and 50-m-wide flyover project. Revenue land measuring .3 hectare is being acquired for the purpose for which compulsory plantation will be undertaken as per norms,” said forest official Pradeep Kumar.

Initially, a C-shaped structure was proposed where some private land was supposed to be acquired, but later that was reduced to a straight structure where no private land would be acquired.

Being non-forest land, it did not require tedious procedure while a no objection certificate has been taken from the Forest Department.

A study undertaken by a National Green Tribunal’s panel on the carrying capacity of the Kasauli Planning Area in 2017 had also stressed the need to decongest the Garkhal junction.