GURGAON: A 5km flyover has been proposed on the Old-Delhi Gurgaon Road to ease congestion and streamline traffic flow towards IGI airport. This proposal emerged from a meeting between GMDA and Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) officials. Based on a study conducted by a consultant hired by DIAL, the proposed flyover will extend from Atul Kataria Chowk to Delhi’s Samalka, effectively separating vehicles that are airport-bound and those headed for other parts of the capital.
This separation is likely to reduce congestion on the busy road, which often witnesses traffic snarls, and cut travel time by nearly three quarters for both commuters and flyers. While it takes nearly an hour to reach IGI from Atul Kataria Chowk during peak hours at present, the flyover could reduce this time to just 15 minutes, officials said.
Discussions on the project, however, are in the initial stages and a final decision is yet to be made. “We had preliminary discussions earlier this week on how we can improve traffic flow between Gurgaon and the airport. Since NH-8 is the primary route and witnesses heavy traffic flow, there is a need to improve other connecting routes. The agency has submitted its recommendations, and we have also shared our suggestions so that the finer details can be ironed out and a decision made. Many things need to be considered before we can go ahead with the plan — RRTS and Gurugram metro corridors will come up in the vicinity, and feedback from other stakeholders will also have to be taken into consideration,” a senior GMDA official said.
If built, the 5km-long, six-lane flyover will provide a dedicated elevated corridor for airport-bound traffic, thus streamlining overall traffic flow on Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road. At present, commute on the road is rather slow due to broken patches and potholes, frequent movement of buses in the stretch, encroachment by street vendors, and the presence of toll booths and several traffic signals
The study commissioned by DIAL has proposed short, mid, and long-term plans to alleviate bottlenecks on the airport route from Gurgaon. It observed that Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road faces snarls due to the absence of other link roads to the Dwarka Expressway and suggested developing sub-arterial roads to enhance connectivity. For this, it also proposed a four-lane flyover at Rezang La Chowk with a length of 3.2km.
NH-8, the main route connecting Gurgaon to IGI and Delhi, faces significant congestion with severe delays during peak hours between Ambience Mall and Shankar Vihar, partly due to unplanned service lane entries and exits. Ambience Mall in particular is a major bottleneck due to narrowing of lanes at the MCD toll plaza, the study said.
It suggested road geometry improvements from Ambience Mall to Shankar Vihar, and realignment of lanes near MCD Toll Plaza. Long-term plans involve linking the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway with Dwarka Expressway, which has been approved by govt.
“Some proposals have already been taken up by GMDA, such as connecting Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Dwarka Expressway through an elevated corridor from Vatika Chowk to NH-8. This will improve connectivity from Sohna and Faridabad to the airport. Govt has granted administrative approval. We will soon hire a consultant for preparation of the DPR,” another GMDA official said.
