DEHRADUN: The 41-km stretch between Dehradun and Paonta Sahib would be turned to four-lane soon, ending traffic woes on the route and shortening the travel time between Dehradun and Chandigarh.The route is part of a national highway (NH 7) that connects the state capital to Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh. At present, it is a two-lane highway which is 10 metres wide. Over 5,000 vehicles run on the highway per hour during peak hours.The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has invited tenders to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) of the project with an initial estimated cost of Rs 820 crore. The last date of submitting the tenders is April 3, said a senior official.Hariom Sharma, superintendent engineer PWD (National Highway division), told TOI, “The work on the project would be carried out by the NHAI. The feasibility study of the project was done earlier. At present, the Public Works Department (PWD) is looking after the maintenance of the national highway.”Notably, the road was widened to two-lane after it was made a national highway in 2007-08. But vehicular pressure on the road has grown since then with long jams witnessed near Premnagar.Bhupinder Singh, a resident of Dehradun and a regular visitor to Paonta Sahib gurdwara, said, “The decision to make the highway four-laned is very beneficial for those like me who use this stretch every week to visit the gurdwara. It would also help tourists who travel to Asan Barrage. At present, there are jams due to narrow roads near Premnagar and Sahaspur.”

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