The GMDA is considering a new plan to build an elevated corridor like the Dwarka Expressway on the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR). If approved, it will make travel between Delhi and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway easier without signals and avoid city traffic. Officials told TOI on Monday that this year, the authority had appointed a consultant to prepare a detailed project report for the renovation of the SPR from Vatika Chowk to NH-8. The consultant has submitted the design for this 5.5-km-long stretch.
Times of India quotes GMDA official saying, “Detailed deliberation is currently going on, and we are also factoring in infrastructure proposed to be built along the stretch. The corridor will be designed not just for today’s needs, but for the mobility requirements of the future. While we are in the process of finalising the design, the detailed project report is currently being prepared.”
As per the proposal, the elevated corridor will be six lanes, with no traffic signals, and will have ramps that will help with entry and exit. It will connect the Dwarka Expressway and NH-8 through the existing cloverleaf intersection, as well as the Sohna Highway (which is part of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, NH-248A) at Vatika Chowk.
This design will ensure a seamless flow of traffic from Shiv Murti in Delhi to NH-8 and then to NH-248A. Conversely, commuters travelling towards Delhi from Sohna Highway will also be able to reach their destination without any problem. The project was conceived in 2019 but was put on hold for several years. In 2022, administrative approval was given to build eight flyovers and expand the SPR to six lanes, but the proposal was scrapped due to low traffic density. A year later, the then Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar directed the GMDA to amend the design and build an elevated road directly connecting NH-248A to NH-8 and Dwarka Expressway. Chief Minister Naib Singh Saini gave the green signal for the construction of this elevated corridor in July 2024. The GMDA board has sanctioned Rs 750 crore for the project, of which Rs 620 crore will be spent on construction and Rs 130 crore on land acquisition. Residents on Monday said the redevelopment of the SPR was urgent.
