Underpasses, flyovers to ease mess around Delhi's Saket

NEW DELHI: Here’s some good news for mall crawlers and south Delhi residents: the Public Works Department is planning a mega redevelopment plan of the Saket area from Press Enclave Road to Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg. The crowded stretch with malls, hospitals and offices will be made easier for movement with widening and the construction of underpasses and flyovers.

Press Enclave Road provides access from Khirki Village, Hauz Rani, Saket, Malviya Nagar and Pushp Vihar, and connects commercial hubs. Once the revamp starts, PWD is likely to take around a year to finish the work.
PWD officials said that the dividers and footpaths on these roads would be shifted and encroachments removed to provide space for pedestrians and cyclists. The plan also suggests the regulation of non-motorised vehicles, which, officials consider to be the main reason for the congestion. According to the officials, there is an alternative plan that envisages a skywalk in addition to the provisions of the first plan.
The redevelopment plan includes an 800-metre underpass at the Chirag Delhi intersection (where Outer Ring Road meets Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg going to Panchsheel Enclave). At present, there is heavy congestion at the intersection through the day, especially so during peak hours. Further down, PWD will erect a kilometre-long flyover at the point where Lal Bahadur Shastri Marg meets Press Enclave Road.
Apart from this, it will also construct an underpass from Press Enclave to Lal Bahadur Shastri Road.
At the ever crowded Madangir along the stretch, PWD intends to widen the road and create ample space for hawkers and pedestrians. The place will be beautified and trees will be planted to add much-needed greenery.
To decongest the network of roads, a double-deck flyover will also be built on Mehrauli-Badarpur Road which Lal Bahadur Shastri Road eventually joins. The approach to the left-turning flyover will be created at the T-point where the two roads meet. These roads connect Delhi with Gurugram and Faridabad apart from linking residential areas such as Tughlakabad, Tigri, Khanpur, Saket and Mehrauli. Officials admitted that this road section needs to be redesigned, keeping in mind the heavy bus traffic.
Officials pointed out that parking is a big concern in the area, with residents of the localities there as strapped for space as the mall-going traffic. PWD hopes to allocate enough space for cars and other vehicles to park on this busy stretch. Officials are also aware that the heavy pedestrian movement from the Malviya Nagar metro station to the Saket District Court slows traffic.
According to an official, the budget for this project is approximately Rs 150 crore and the deadline for completion of work is a year after the start of work. Apart from this project, PWD officials are also open to similar plans to decongest other corridors such as the entire Aurobindo Marg, Mathura Road (Neela Gumbad to Badarpur flyover), Outer Ring Road (Chirag Delhi crossing to Savitri flyover), Sardar Patel Marg (Gyarah Murti to Rajokri border) and Dhaula Kuan (Dhaula Kuan flyover to GGR flyover, Sanjay T-Point).