There is finally some good news for travelers visiting Himachal Pradesh by road. The NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) has approved four-laning of three of the twelve National Highways passing through the state.

And luckily, pill the National Highways to be four laned are not some branched-off NHs’ but the busiest NH’s of the state namely NH-20 (Shimla-Pathankot), site NH-21 (Chandigarh – Manali), and NH-21A (Pinjore-Nalagarh-Swarghat).

The NH-21 is currently in a pathetic condition and the four laning of this road is a much needed task. Arguably, NH-21 is the busiest road of the state and considering the traffic density on this road, it is a welcome decision by the NHAI.

The NHAI Himachal division is on a clean sweep mission and they have already started clearing off encroachments from the roads, especially on the NH-21 and NH-88 section.

Road widening of NH-22 (Ambala-Wangtoo) is also under consideration. The ever increasing rush of tourists to the state, establishment of cement factories have increased the traffic load on the roads immensely.

Road widening is one of the most important steps the state government has to take to ensure tourist interest in the region.

Interestingly, anything that lies within 12 meters of the National Highway will be taken down by the NHAI, so be a little cautious. Because when NHAI decides to construct a road, they usually do it at any cost, especially in Himachal Pradesh.