📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Nikolai Bulykin
Travel
Long weekend traffic snarls cripple Himachal and Uttarakhand highways
✍️ India Today
🗓 03 Oct 2026, 03:31 AM
👁 15
Heavy traffic on major highways in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand stretched for hours during the long weekend, causing severe delays for commuters.
The extended weekend saw a surge of private vehicles, buses and trucks on the mountain roads linking Delhi with the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakंड. Congestion built up on National Highways 5, 20 and 7, where motorists reported waiting times of two to three hours at choke points near Shimla, Mandi and Dehradun.
Authorities from the state transport departments deployed traffic police and set up temporary diversion routes, but the steep terrain and limited lane capacity hampered relief efforts.
Travelers were advised to postpone non‑essential trips and to use alternative corridors such as the Chandigarh‑Manali and Rishikesh‑Haridwar routes.
The traffic bottleneck also impacted freight movement, with several goods carriers reporting delayed deliveries to regional markets.
Officials said they will review traffic management plans ahead of future holiday periods to mitigate similar disruptions.
Authorities from the state transport departments deployed traffic police and set up temporary diversion routes, but the steep terrain and limited lane capacity hampered relief efforts.
Travelers were advised to postpone non‑essential trips and to use alternative corridors such as the Chandigarh‑Manali and Rishikesh‑Haridwar routes.
The traffic bottleneck also impacted freight movement, with several goods carriers reporting delayed deliveries to regional markets.
Officials said they will review traffic management plans ahead of future holiday periods to mitigate similar disruptions.