The Dhaula Kuan junction — en route the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and one of the Capital’s most congested junctions — is in the process of being made signal-free by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). The project will be closely monitored by Delhi Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal.
Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari laid the foundation stone for the project on August 14.
The first bottleneck that would be targeted is the junction of the Station Road on National Highway-8 in front of the metro station.
Monitored by L-G
“The project is being monitored closely by the L-G, who has directed the Public Works Department (PWD) to assist the NHAI and his office as and when required,” said a government source, adding that modalities related to it were scheduled to be discussed at a series of dedicated meetings at Raj Niwas over the coming days.
Mr. Baijal is currently overseeing a city-wide decongestion plan which is to be implemented on 77 traffic corridors.
According to the source, Defence land needed to be acquired for the project had emerged as an initial hiccup but was recently ironed out.
According to the official, the Ministry of Defence has agreed to transfer 13 acres of land to the NHAI for the project, which has already been sanctioned at a cost of ₹260 crore.
As per the NHAI's plan, this junction is being made signal-free.
To achieve this, a flyover is proposed to be constructed on the right carriageway for traffic from Gurugram to Delhi.
At this junction, the provision for a U-turn for traffic is also being provided, said a government official.
Foot-over bridges
“In addition, two foot-over bridges with escalators are also to be constructed for facilitating pedestrians. For segregating buses, a proper bus bay is being provided. On the station road, a vehicular underpass is being constructed for facilitating smooth movement of defence personnel,” the official said further.
According to the official, the flyover on NH-8 is proposed to be 189.3 metres long while the flyover on the station road will be 150 metres long.
Peak traffic
The Ministry estimates that the daily Passenger Car Unit (PCU) count at the Dhaula Kuan metro station junction is 15,000 at peak time.
The stretch from Dhaula Kuan Junction to Parade Road is proposed to be widened to ensure minimum four lanes on either side for traffic. Near junctions, additional structures will also be provided.
“For junction improvement, a part of land is also required from the police station. The bids for the project have been received and work is likely to start in October, 2017. The time period for completion of this work is 18 months,” the official added.
