National Highway 22 (India)(old numbering)

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National Highway 22

Road map of India with National Highway 22 highlighted in solid blue color
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)
Primary
destinations:		 Ambala - Kalka -Solan - Shimla - Narkanda - Rampur - Khab
Highway system
← NH 21ANH 23 →

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. It is also known as Hindustan Tibet road.[2]

Description

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 NH 64, and turns north-east through Panchkula to Pinjore, where the NH 21A heads north-west, then to Kalka and Parwanoo. The expressway has now been extended to bypass the towns of Pinjore and Kalka, which were previously a major traffic bottleneck point.

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.

The stretch from Delhi -Chandigarh-Solan-Shimla-Kalpa also featured in the History Channel's "IRT Deadliest Roads" TV series for its poor maintenance and hazardous driving conditions all through the year. Jaypee Corporation mostly appears to maintain the upper stretches of the road because of the need to transport material to its two projects upriver. Beyond Dhalli near Shimla, the road begins to deteriorate but is still a lifeline for the local people.

History and development

The construction of Hindustan Tibet road was started in 1850-51 commencing from Kalka and first lap was up to Shimla.[2] The Road up to Shimla came to be used for wheeled traffic by 1860. A 560 feet long tunnel was constructed beyond Sanjauli.[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Details of National Highways in India-Source-Govt. of India
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "History of Shimla". Retrieved 21 March 2013.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to NH 22 (India).