Work on the four-laning of the Zirakpur-Patiala highway will begin by June this year.
Sources in the Punjab Public Works Department (PWD) say that the 55-km stretch is likely to be completed in two-and-a-half years. The road is being constructed on build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. The outlay for the project is Rs 460 crore. Tenders for the purpose will be invited in February, after approval is taken from the ministry of road transport and highways.
The financial model for the BOT project is being finalised by Radicon, a Delhi-based group of consultants. PWD officials say the company, which takes up the construction of the highway is likely to put up two toll booths. This is because the Zirakpur-Patiala highway has two sections, viz Zirakpur to Rajpura, and Rajpura to Patiala. The concession period for the project is likely to be 18 years?the time for which the company can collect toll tax on the road, after working out its total investment in the project.
Four-laning of the project will be carried out further from Patiala to Bathinda. A feasibility study is being carried out by Louis Berger Consultants, based at Gurgaon. The report is likely to be submitted by March 31.
The stretch from Patiala to Bathinda is 147 kms. The consultants will work out the cost of the road, including the cost of work on the Sangrur bypass. The consultants will also work out whether the project is feasible on build-operate transfer basis.
Sources highlight that the road from Zirakpur to Bahadurgarh will be four-laned. The stretch from Bahadurgarh to the bus stand at Patiala will be six-laned.
The widening of the road will bring major relief to regular users of the road. Owing to the heavy density of light and heavy motor vehicles on the road, traffic jams are a common sight here.