New Delhi, Feb 21 (IANS): In an attempt to give a major boost to the road infrastructure in Punjab, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has developed a four-lane wide section from Phagwara to Rupnagar on NH-344A, an official said on Tuesday.

In a series of tweets, Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways, Nitin Gadkari on Tuesday said the project is being executed in Hybrid Annuity Mode at a cost of Rs 1,367 crore, spanning a length of 80.82 km.

The section connects major cities Amritsar-Jalandhar-Chandigarh, and extends mobility to Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Ropar, and Mohali.

The Minister said that the alignment lessens the travel time from Jalandhar to Chandigarh to almost half and provides direct access to Khatkarkalan, which is the ancestral home of Bhagat Singh.

Gadkari said resonating the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to build sustainable infrastructure, this Green Highway is fully saturated with healthy flowering plants throughout the stretch.

It is also considered to be one of the safest highways in Punjab and stimulates socio-economic development in the region.