In move to decongest Ring Road, NHAI to build elevated corridor between INA and Nelson Mandela Marg | India News

NEW DELHI: Finally, with BJP in power, both in Delhi and the Centre, the Union government is speeding up action on major decongestion projects in the national capital. The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) will build the elevated corridor between INA and Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj, a project that was conceived more than four years ago to decongest the Ring Road.
Sources said the project would be funded by Delhi govt and urban affairs ministry, and the modalities will be worked out soon. The NHAI will build a tunnel between Nelson Mandela Marg to Shiv Murti interchange, which will provide seamless connectivity to Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). The corridor will mean, traffic coming from east and south Delhi can travel non-stop to the airport.
The proposed elevated corridor (14-km) passing through the newly redeveloped govt residential and commercial complexes along the Ring Road was cleared by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) in July 2021.
As per the earlier proposal, the central public works department (CPWD) was tasked to prepare the detailed project report (DPR) and execute it. But the project never got approval of the Public Investment Board, a mandatory process before any proposal is placed before the cabinet for its nod.
Sources said matters relating to decongestion of roads in Delhi was discussed at a meeting in the PMO early this month where top road transport and highway ministry officials suggested that NHAI could construct the project considering its expertise in execution of such major road projects.
Following the meeting in PMO, Union road transport secretary, V Umashankar held a meeting attended by officials from NHAI, Delhi govt and National Buildings Construction Corporation (NBCC), the agency redeveloping the govt residential and commercial complexes.
Sources told TOI that the NHAI will prepare the DPR and base it on the one prepared by CPWD. “As per earlier estimate, the project would have cost around Rs 4,500 crore. The project may have some components of tunnels considering the ground situation. We will arrive at a cost after the final DPR. The govt is serious about expediting the project, which has been stuck for at least four years,” said a senior official.
Some estimates by the Delhi PWD suggest that around 1.3 lakh vehicles pass through the AIIMS crossing every day, and nearly 3.3 vehicles ply between Bhikaji Cama Place and Lajpat Nagar flyovers daily. Officials said any more delay in taking up the project would cause more crisis as traffic on this stretch remains gridlocked most part of the day.
Traffic increase is imminent as more government employees shift to recently redeveloped Sarojini Nagar residential complex and Nauroji Nagar commercial complex.
Sources said the NHAI will also explore the possibility of building an elevated road from Nelson Mandela Marg in Vasant Kunj to Mehrauli-Gurgaon highway.