Three new routes to Delhi will decongest e-way, MG Road

Almost a decade after planning to improve connectivity between Delhi and Gurgaon, the Haryana government has decided to decongest two major roads that link the two cities — Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and MG Road.

For this, the Haryana town and country planning department (TCPD) will carve out three new routes that will reduce congestion on the expressway and MG Road.

The department will conduct feasibility studies for the routes and submit the reports in 15 days to the Delhi government.

The proposal for increasing connectivity between Delhi and Gurgaon was pitched in 2005 by officials of the two state governments. But, the issue remained in limbo for 10 years, while the floating population of the two cities increased as years passed by.

Presently, the two major links between Delhi and Gurgaon see bumper-to-bumper traffic during the morning and evening rush hour. Lakhs of commuters end up spending over two hours travelling on these routes during peak hours, while the actual travel time is estimated to be less than 45 minutes.

On Tuesday, officials of the NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) and TCPD met in Gurgaon and discussed the issue.

Additional chief secretary of the Haryana government P Raghvendra Rao said improving connectivity between Delhi and Gurgaon was a top priority and would soon be finalised in coordination with the Delhi government.

According to officials, the NCRPB plans to connect the Northern Peripheral Road (NPR), also called the Dwarka Expressway, with Dwarka in Delhi.

This is expected to divert a significant volume of Gurgaon-bound traffic from west Delhi. NPR will be connected through the Urban Extension Road 1 (UER1) to UER2, proposed by the Delhi government to decongest the roads in the national capital.

UER1 will connect the Wazirabad bypass to NH 1, NH 10 and NH 8. UER2 — the longest road — will connect the Wazirabad bypass to NH 1, NH 10, NH 8 and NH 2.

The second route planned by the Haryana government will connect NPR with both UER 1 and 2, for which, a 1.5-km stretch would be needed to connect UER1 and another 1-km stretch would be required for UER2.

Next on the priority list is to connect Gurgaon-Faridabad Road with Nelson Mandela Marg in Delhi, via MG Road.

The proposal to link Nelson Mandela Marg with MG Road, a 4-km road, is likely to pass through Ghitorni, Vasant Kunj and Garden Estate Apartments in Gurgaon.

The board is also planning a direct road from NH8 near Ambience Mall to MG Road.

“We are working on the plan to improve connectivity between Gurgaon and Delhi. For this, feasibility reports for three new routes will be drafted by our senior town planner,” said Rao, who chaired a key meeting in this regard on Tuesday in Gurgaon.

The Gurgaon administrator of the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda), Anita Yadav, said the government is keen to provide more options for commuters and the new routes were aimed to decongest existing roads.