Shimla repair work on Victory Tunnel–Sanjauli road may worsen weekend traffic chaos
Shimla, May 9
One of Shimla’s most critical traffic bottlenecks — the Victory Tunnel–Lakkar Bazar–Sanjauli stretch — will remain under road maintenance during the weekend, with authorities issuing a traffic advisory asking commuters to avoid the route on May 9 and 10.
The Public Works Department (PWD) is scheduled to undertake patchwork and maintenance work on the heavily used road corridor connecting the city centre with Sanjauli, Dhalli and upper Shimla areas.
In its advisory, authorities have requested commuters travelling towards Sanjauli, Dhalli and adjoining areas to use the Sanjauli Bypass route as an alternative. However, the advisory remains silent on what route residents already living en route — particularly in areas around Lakkar Bazar, Tarahall, Bharari, Eversunny, Ridge approach roads, Auckland, and nearby localities — should use during the maintenance exercise.
No details have been provided regarding possible traffic diversions within the affected stretch, expected closure timings, movement regulation plans, parking restrictions, or the likely duration of inconvenience commuters may face during the two-day exercise.
Residents and daily commuters say the stretch is among Shimla’s narrowest and most pressure-prone corridors, witnessing near-continuous traffic movement throughout the day, especially during weekends and tourist season. Any disruption on the road typically leads to long traffic snarls extending towards Victory Tunnel, Circular Road and Sanjauli.
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Questions are also being raised over whether emergency vehicle movement, local resident access and public transport operations will remain uninterrupted during the maintenance work.
While authorities have appealed to the public to cooperate with police and traffic personnel and plan travel accordingly, commuters say a more detailed traffic management plan specifying diversions, timings and expected congestion zones would have helped residents better prepare for the disruption.
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