Nine prominent stretches across the Capital will be redesigned along the lines of European cities over the coming year, Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced on Tuesday. The pilot project will see around 45 km of roads being revamped, including beautification, at a cost of roughly ₹400 crore, he added.
The project will ensure that the roads have measured and planned spaces for vehicles, non-motorised vehicles and footpaths.
“All the roads in Delhi will be redesigned as per international standards. We have been trying to do this for a few years now... Work orders for one road was given today. Work orders for two roads will be given on Wednesday. Orders for remaining roads will be given in November,” Mr. Kejriwal said at a press conference.
“We hope to improve the condition of the roads and tackle the problem of traffic congestion through redesigning within a year. The cost of these nine stretches will be ₹400 crore,” Mr. Kejriwal added.
The stretches will include Wazirpur Depot to Rithala Metro Station; Britania Chowk to Outer Ring Road, West Enclave Pitampura; Shivdhapuri Marg to Patel Road; Vikas Marg, Lakshmi Nagar to Kadkadi Mod.
Similar work will be undertaken on stretches such as Nirman Road Mother Dairy to Panchmahal; Ring Road, Mayapuri to Motibagh Junction; Ring Road, AIIMS to Ashram; Ambedkar Nagar to Defence Colony Flyover; and Outer Road, Nigam Bodh Ghat to Magazine Road Crossing.
The Chief Minister also said that if the pilot project is successful, then all roads under PWD’s jurisdiction would be redesigned.
“Many wide roads turn into narrow lanes and then back into wide roads, which create bottlenecks. Our priority will be removing these bottlenecks for a smooth flow of traffic and an organised lane system,” Mr. Kejriwal said.
“Our second priority will be to increase efficiency of existing space on roads. There is no proper planning or mapping involved in the construction of roads as of now,” he added.
An average of 10-foot-wide footpaths, rainwater harvesting systems inside drains, and separate spaces for tree plantation will be part of the initiative, he said. The stretches will be resurfaced and will have street furniture. The junctions of these roads will also be redesigned.
The work order for the stretch between AIIMS to Ashram was issued on Monday, and the order for redesigning of Nirman Road was issued on Tuesday, said Mr. Kejriwal.
