Delhi to Shimla
Just a small update for everyone with regard to the road condition between Delhi and Shimla as it stands as of a few weeks ago
First the good news. The stretch from Delhi to Panipat now is simply awesome ( excluding ofcourse our traffic behavior) , the entire stretch from Azadpur to the delhi border has been done up with a series of flyovers placed as well cutting the time drastically. Wide open roads with very few lights ensure that you can zip through this stretch now , a welcome relief from all the years it has taken for this to be completed.
The bad news. Panipat to Ambala is current a massive work in progress project. NHAI is expanding the road to make it into an 8 lane stretch. Good intentions but it makes for poor driving at this point . The current length of the road has been reduced and there are very few straights now available to build and maintain a decent pace. In many places the stretch is only about 500 km’s before there is a small diversion in aid of a flyover pillar being placed. A bit frustrating if you are trying to push but once ready ( not sure when) i am sure this will be an excellent stretch
The flyover work at Zirakpur is over ( FYI for those not aware – post Ambala the expressway has been fully functional for quite sometime now). Traffic is bad but more owing to bad driving than anything else.
The best part and something i have been looking forward to for years is the new stretch between Zirakpur all the way to Parwanoo. A brand new road , with 5-6 flyovers built in makes it a delight now. I managed the run ( which is approx 30 -35 odd kms) in less than 20 minutes , a far cry from the days when it used to take as much as 45-60 mins depending on traffic.
Once at Parwanoo of course the problems which have plagued this area and further on Kalka continue to exist , but there is a bypass being built now which will come out a little before Timber Trail once completed ( not sure when) which promises to , if not reduce time, at least make the drive less stressful.
July 28, 2011
puchoo
5 responses to “Delhi to Shimla : Update as of 28th July 2011”
M
August 9th, 2011 at 16:37
Hi!
This reply is not linked to your post – i came here via India Travel Mike – your reply on Ramgarh Bungalows was the most comprehensive one in the entire thread. Could you please email me in brief about your experience there and any specific trails/treks you went for? We have heard a lot about the place, and intend to travel in the next few weeks if possible.
Thanks.
sameer
September 13th, 2011 at 00:36
I agree, one flies on the road to Parwanoo.
Wondered if the wheels were touching the ground or the car had grown wings!!
puchoo
September 13th, 2011 at 13:20
Sid
October 21st, 2011 at 19:52
So how much time does the whole journey take, assuming minimal traffic ???
puchoo
October 31st, 2011 at 11:28
Hi Siddhant , assuming minimal traffic and stops not amounting to more than 1 hour in total and you are a bit of a peppy driver – 8 hours is easily doable , but the problem is that the assumption is not realistic , be it traffic or jams owing to others breaking down etc , meeting this timeline is always tough