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Dehradun: Travel time between Ballupur in Dehradun and Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh, which earlier took nearly two hours, is set to reduce to about 30 minutes following the upgradation of the newly constructed NH-07. While traffic has been allowed on the route, work on around 8 km of the 44.8-km project is still pending. Authorities said the entire project is expected to be completed by Feb this year.

The Paonta Sahib-Ballupur project involves the upgradation and four-laning of a 44.8-km stretch of NH-07, connecting Paonta Sahib in Himachal Pradesh to Ballupur Chowk in Dehradun. The corridor is a key route for daily commuters, industrial and commercial traffic, and tourists, and also improves access to Yamunotri Dham, the first shrine of the Char Dham Yatra.

The existing Paonta Sahib-Ballupur road is around 52 km long. Under the project, about 25 km of the upgraded stretch comprises a new greenfield highway developed as a bypass to decongest towns including Paonta Sahib, Herbertpur, Sahaspur, Selaqui and Sudhowala.

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) said the project, along with the greenfield highway, will function as an extension of the Delhi-Dehradun Economic Corridor, which is at an advanced stage of implementation.

The integration is expected to ease traffic congestion in Dehradun by diverting through-traffic and improving regional and inter-state connectivity.

The project has been undertaken at a cost of Rs 21,646 crore, including land acquisition, forest clearance and utility shifting. It affects 25 villages — 21 in Uttarakhand and four in Himachal Pradesh.

Officials said all major bridges, underpasses and structural works have been completed.

Work on limited stretches involving reinforced earth walls and final pavement is underway and targeted for completion by Feb 2026.

Saurabh Singh, DGM, NHAI, said, “Traffic has been opened for commercial operations on the completed 31.5-km section of the highway after a road safety audit to ensure commuter safety.”

On toll collection at Dharmawala, Singh said, “Toll is being charged only for the completed stretch of the NH route.”