The construction of the 34.6-km-long six-lane Greenfield Eastern Bypass and the third phase of the Western Bypass, a crucial part of Karnal’s outer ring road, is nearing completion, with nearly 95 per cent of the work already finished.
The ambitious project is being developed by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) under the Bharatmala Pariyojana at an estimated cost of around Rs 1,700 crore, including land acquisition.
The bypass begins from National Highway-44 near Shamgarh village and concludes at the Karnal-Munak road near Samalkha village. Once operational, it is expected to significantly reduce traffic congestion within Karnal city and improve connectivity.
According to a senior NHAI official, the project consists of two major components—the Greenfield Eastern Bypass stretching from Shamgarh to Bastara Toll Plaza and the third phase of the Western Bypass extending from Bastara Toll Plaza to Samalkha village near Munak Road. This six-lane corridor passes through several villages, including Dadupur, Jhanjhari, Kurali, Darar, Salaru, Taprana, Danialpur, Newal, Kunjpura, Subri, Chhapra Khera, Sohana, Sheikhpura, Ranwar, Ganjogarhi, Kutail, Unchasamana, Kharkali, Jhinwerheri and Bijna.
The project includes six flyovers, one railway overbridge (ROB), two vehicular underpasses, 14 light vehicular underpasses, nine small vehicular underpasses, three major bridges over the Western Yamuna Canal, Augmentation Canal and Indri Escape, and nine minor bridges. Officials said that most of the structures have been completed, while work on a vehicular underpass near Kutail village remains pending.
A stretch of around 1.5 km near Kutail is currently under construction, where ramps and connecting roads are yet to be completed. Besides, a proposal for constructing service and connecting roads parallel to the main carriageway of the Eastern Bypass between Meerut Road and Rasulpur village has been sent to the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS), Public Works Department, for consent regarding land acquisition costs, said an NHAI official.
The foundation stone of the project was laid by Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari on June 20, 2023. The project was initially targeted for completion by August 2025. However, delays caused by restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) and farmers’ agitations led to an extension of the deadline.
Officials now expect the remaining work to be completed by the end of September 2026.
“The construction agency has been asked to complete the work before the deadline. Once completed, this project will provide seamless movement of vehicles around Karnal, reduce travel time, and strengthen the district’s road infrastructure network,” said Dr Anand Kumar Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Karnal.
Residents also expressed happiness over the project. Dushyant Malik, a local resident, said that the construction of the Greenfield Eastern Bypass and the third phase of the Western Bypass would reduce the burden on NH-44 within the city limits as well as on state highways connected to the national highway.
