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22
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Road map of India with National Highway 22 highlighted in solid blue color |
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| Route information | ||||
| Length: | 459 km (285 mi) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Southwest end: | Ambala, Haryana | |||
| Northeast end: | Khab, Himachal Pradesh | |||
| Location | ||||
| States: | Haryana: 30 km (19 mi) Punjab: 31 km (19 mi) Himachal Pradesh: 398 km (247 mi) |
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| Primary destinations: |
Ambala - Kalka - Shimla - Narkanda - Rampur - Khab | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Indian Road Network
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National Highway 22 (NH 22) is a 459 km (285 mi)[1] National Highway in Northern India that runs from Ambala through Chandigarh and Himachal Pradesh up to Khab on the Chinese border.
Contents |
Starting in Ambala, in northern Haryana as an offshoot of NH 1, the NH 22 runs north towards Zirakpur, outside Chandigarh. This first 40 km stretch, running partly through eastern Punjab, is named as the Ambala Chandigarh Expressway, and is a modern and well-maintained four lane section with several bridges and three major flyovers.
At Zirakpur, it meets the NH 7, and turns north-east through Panchkula to Pinjore, where the NH 21A heads north-west, then to Kalka and Parwanoo. This section is currently being widened to four lanes, and a concurrent project is underway to build a new road between Pinjore and Parwanoo, bypassing the highly congested roads in Kalka.
After Kalka, the highway enters Himachal Pradesh, and as the terrain changes it becomes a mountain road with extensive hairpin turns. It continues north-east to Solan, and then north to Shimla, where it joins the NH 88. Between Kalka and Shimla, several sections run near the Kalka-Shimla Railway. From Shimla, it heads approximately north-east towards the Chinese frontier, reaching the border town of Khab just before the Line of Actual Control. Beyond Khab, the road runs for a short distance through Namgial to the Shipki La pass, where it enters Chinese territory.
This final 100 km stretch from Shimla was featured in the History Channel's "Deadliest Roads" series for its poor maintenance and hazardous driving conditions all thru the year. GMR Corporation appears to maintain that 100 Km stretch because of the need to transport material to its two projects upriver. Beyond Dhalli, it is not maintained much but still a lifeline for the local people.
It was suggested the road could be used as a route for land access to the Arabian Sea as the Karakoram Highway is much more treacherous for transport. This opening of the border at Shipki La is claimed to potentially increase trade on both sides of the border.[2]