NHAI, Delhi civic body work to speed up project
NEW DELHI: The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) are working to expedite construction work on the Urban Extension Road-ii, also termed as the third Ring Road, which will connect four national highways ( NH-1, 10, 8 and 2) and provide seamless access between north, northwest Delhi and IGI airport and Gurugram, officials aware of the development said.
The over Rs 7,700 croreproject, which was conceived by DDA in 2016 but later handed over to NHAI in 2018, failed to take off due to financial issues. NHAI, which invited bids for the project in December 2019, asked the DDA to pay for the viability gap funding worth Rs 4,000 crore, as the project was turning out to be costly.
A senior NHAI official said, “It is an expensive project. We are exploring possibilities to make it financially viable.” However, a senior DDA official said, “The resolution to the issue regarding funding has been found.”
The NCT of Delhi is a massive metropolitan area where five national highways ( NH-1, 2, 38, 310 and 324) converge. Delhi has over 10 million registered vehicles and faces a major challenge to curb severe traffic congestion and rising air pollution.
Of the total 75.71-kms, 43kms (approx) will be constructed in Delhi. The total cost of the project has been estimated at Rs 7,715.6 crore. This includes the cost of constructing highways towards Sonipat and Bahadurgarh from UER-II.
UER-II was proposed in the Master Plan of Delhi 2021. The DDA, which had planned the initial project, couldn’t implement it due to land acquisition-related issues mainly in Khanjhawla, Najafgarh and other rural villages. The road will start from NH-1 near Mukarba intersection, cross NH-10, Rohini, Dwarka, NH-8 near Rajokri and end on NH-2, as per DDA’S initial plan. Later, NHAI added two highways towards Sonipat and Bahadurgarh.
The Sonipat road link will connect UER-II with Barwasni bypass (near Sonipat). An NHAI official said this road will help reduce traffic load on NH-1, as this will provide an alternative route between Delhi and Sonipat. The road towards Bahadurgarh bypass will be an additional road link connecting Delhi, Bahadurgarh and Rohtak. An NHAI official said, it will help in decongesting the NH 10 section between Outer Ring Road and Mundka. Currently, the only road link connecting west Delhi, Dwarka, Gurgaon, IGI Airport, Dhaula Kuan and South Delhi is NH 10 section between Peeragrahi (Outer Ring Road) and Bahadurgarh bypass.
To decongest the city, especially the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, experts say that it is important to develop road infrastructure in urban extensions.
Transport expert S Velmurugan, the chief scientist at Csircentral
Road Research Institute, said, “The Eastern and Western peripheral expressways act as a broad buffer, as Delhi-bound traffic doesn’t have to enter Delhi now. The third ring road will just add one more layer of buffer and ease traffic on Ring Road and Outer Ring road, as traffic from north and northwest Delhi need not come to Dhaula Kuan to go to IGI airport or Gurugram.”