₹270-cr plan to decongest Dhaula Kuan announced

Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Monday announced a slew of projects to decongest Delhi and Gurgaon.

By 2019, the stretch between Dhaula Kuan to Indira Gandhi International Airport – one of the most congested in Delhi – will see a major turnaround.

Gadkari laid the foundation stone of two projects to ease traffic flow on this stretch.

He also announced the shifting of Kherki Daula toll plaza by eight kilometers towards Manesar from its current location on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway.

Gadkari on Monday launched a ₹270-crore project to clear the bottleneck at the junction of the station road with NH8 in front of the Dhaula Kuan Metro station. As per NHAI’s plan, this junction will be made signal free.

The highways authority will build a flyover on the right carriageway for the traffic moving from Gurgaon to Delhi. A U-turn will also be provided.

On the station road an underpass is being constructed for smooth movement of defence personnel. Besides, two foot overbridges will also be constructed for facilitating pedestrians’ movement. Bus bays will also be made. Work for the project is likely to begin in October.

The minister also laid the foundation stone to upgrade NH-248A from Rajiv Chowk to Sohna at ₹1700 crores. Currently, commuters travelling from Delhi to Nuh and Alwar turn left at Rajiv Chowk on NH-8 and struggle to make their way through the congested Sohna Road via Subhash Chowk, Badshahpur, Bhondsi and Nuh.

Once this highway is strengthened, the commute would without any diversions. The decision to shift the toll plaza is likely to provide much-needed relief to thousands of commuters who cross the toll daily.

Like Sirhaul, the 23-lane Kherki Daula toll plaza has become a major bottleneck on the 27.7-km expressway. The toll was made operational in 2008.

Commuters remain stuck in long queues of vehicles every day. Office goers and employees working in industrial townships of Manesar, Dharuhera and Bhiwadi, who pass through the stretch, get stuck at the toll plaza.

Gadkari said the toll would be shifted within three months of the Haryana government providing land for a new toll plaza.

“Give me this land and I promise that a world class toll plaza would be constructed,” said Gadkari while speaking at the inauguration of an underpass at Rajiv Chowk and flyover at Maharana Pratap Chowk.