3 flyovers, 2 underpasses to make SPR signal-free in a year and half

Tenders From Next Month, Work On z230-crore Project To Begin In Dec

The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority’s (GMDA) ambitious plan to decongest Southern Peripheral Road is gaining momentum. The detailed project report is finally ready and it would cost the state government around Rs 230 crore to construct three flyovers and two underpasses to make the road signal-free, officials said.

While the underpass at Vatika Chowk — one of SPR’s busiest junctions— will be developed by the National High-ways Authority of India (NHAI), the rest of the project will be executed by GMDA. Officials said the tenders will be allotted in the next month and the project work will begin by December, with a one and a half year deadline.

“In all, two underpasses and three flyovers will be developed on the stretch between Ghata crossing and Vatika Chowk. NHAI will develop the underpass at Vatika Chowk. The project will also include the widening and strengthe¬ning of the road,” said a senior GMDA official.

TOI recently reported that Haryana PWD minister Rao Narbir Singh had approached Union road transport mini-ster Nitin Gadkari for the de-velopment of the underpass at Vatika Chowk. “Around Rs 30 crore will be spent on the underpass at Vatika Chowk, whereas another Rs 200 crore is needed for the remaining project,” said the official.The money for the project will be sourced from external development charges that the department of town and country planning (DTCP) owes to GMDA, the official added.

SPR which was developed by HSVP and launched around two-and-a-half years back has become a major arterial road for the city, especially with the rampant development in sectors 58-77 that run along the peripheral road. It also sees heavy traffic between Gurgaon and Faridabad and has suffered immense damage in the past two years- According to officials, the road was getting much more pres¬sure than it was actually designed for.

“While the road has been developed to bear a load of around 8 tonnes, it is currently witnessing around 34 tonnes of weight, leading to extensive damage,” said another official. Additionally many of the junctions on the stretch, especially Vatika Chowk, faces regular traffic jams and snarls as it gets traffic from four different sides.

The project for the SPR up-grade has been in the pipeline for a while and it was tabled in the GMDA meeting in March earlier this year and eventually approved by chief minister Manohar Lal Ithattar.

Source : Toi