Haryana clears three underpasses at snarl-hit junctions in Gurgaon
The project would cost Rs 779 crore, 25 per cent of which will be borne by NHAI.
IFFCO Chowk will get an underpass. (Source: Express photo)
In a step aimed at easing traffic jams, the Haryana government on Wednesday approved a proposal to build underpasses at three key junctions — Rajiv Chowk, Signature Tower and IFFCO Chowk.
“Commuters grapple with traffic jams daily at these intersections, which lie on NH-8 passing through Gurgaon, and they have been raising this issue time and again,” Public Works Department Minister Rao Narbir Singh said.
Singh said the project would cost Rs 779 crore, 25 per cent of which will be borne by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).
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Another 25 per cent will be borne by HUDA and the rest 50 per cent funded through loans from the National Capital Region Planning Board.
The NHAI will execute the project. “The construction will be done in a phased manner so that commuters are not hassled. The project will be completed within 24 months from the date of approval,” the minister said.
According to the draft report prepared by the Delhi Integrated Multi-Modal Transit System Ltd (DIMTS), which studied the pattern of traffic at these junctions, there will be a two-way straight underpass from Gurgaon to Sohna and from Delhi to Gurgaon-Medicity, one-way loop underpass and a grade rotary, straight underpass for NH-8 at Rajiv Chowk, underpass from Medicity towards Delhi, exclusive lanes for movement of pedestrians and non-motorised transport, and a roundabout for other traffic.
Similarly, at Signature Tower on the Jaipur-Delhi route, there will be a provision from HUDA City Centre Metro station towards Jaipur and an underpass towards Delhi on Maharana Pratap Chowk for uninterrupted movement of traffic. Apart from these, the redevelopment plan of IFFCO Chowk junction will also be undertaken.
The PWD (B&R) department would act as the nodal agency to coordinate between various departments and the NHAI for speedy implementation and also to sort out the issues related to land transfer and shifting or relocation of existing services, the minister said.
According to officials, the state government will persuade the NHAI to increase its share up to 50 per cent of the project cost on the pattern of Hero Honda Chowk flyover instead of 25 per cent.
The minister said the state government will ensure that there is no conflict of the project with the upcoming Metro rail proposal by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation or the Rapid Rail Transit System.
In June last year, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon along with DIMTS had prepared a detailed project report to decongest these junctions, which never materialised. An elaborate network of service lanes and slip roads on the highway was proposed as part of the decongestion plan.
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