To regulate smooth flow of traffic on Shimla's narrow and crowded ring road, an expansion plan is afoot here. | |
| It's also called the cart road, by old timers here, as carts once rolled past on this winding mountainous 150 year-old road during the British colonial era. Shimla served the summer capital to the British Raj. |
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| Even though trucks are not allowed on this lifeline of Shimla for decades, the highway is clearly insufficient to cater to the demands of increasing traffic, as the hill station is a round-the-year destination for holiday makers. |
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| "We have come up with Rs 80 crore comprehensive Jawahar Lal Nehru Urban Renewal Plan to upgrade the Shimla circular road and convert it into a double lane highway at several places. Work is already on at a few places," a top state government official told Business Standard. |
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| "The widening of the route will involve about 12 km of road length in the heart of the city. Besides two short link roads connecting the by-pass road will also be added in the second phase," the official added. |
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| "We are planning to build six more car parking-cum shopping complexes on build operate and transfer basis with the help of private sector. This will involve additional expenses which are being worked out," said the official not wishing to be named. |
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| The official said one of the parking areas would be built with the help of the Indian railways at the edge of the inter-state terminus and the railways station in the most crowded spots of the town. |
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| Besides the overcrowded ring road, the other big drawback for tourists visiting this resort town in peak season is lack of space in the existing parking slots. |
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