Mohali, April 10 -- If all goes well, in a little over two years, commuters stuck on the perpetually clogged Zirakpur-Chandigarh stretch may finally find the much-awaited relief.

Hanging in the balance since 2013, the long-delayed Zirakpur bypass project is finally set to take off as the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, approved its construction on Wednesday.

To be built at a cost of Rs.1,878.31 crore under the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan, the 19.2-km, six-lane bypass, spanning Punjab and Haryana, will connect NH-7 (Zirakpur-Patiala) with NH-5 (Zirakpur-Parwanoo).

The project aims to decongest the overburdened Zirakpur-Chandigarh corridor by primarily diverting Himachal Pradesh-bound traffi...