Gadkari Directs NHAI To Conduct Feasibility Studies For Two New Links To Ease Traffic Congestion In Central Delhi: Report

With major expressways like Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Dehradun nearing completion, the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has asked the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) to examine the feasibility of two additional links aimed at decongesting Central Delhi, Times of India reported.

Union Minister Nitin Gadkari, in a high-level meeting with Delhi Lt Governor VK Saxena and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, directed NHAI to conduct feasibility studies for a tunnel or elevated road from Sarai Kale Khan to the proposed INA-Nelson Mandela Marg elevated corridor.

He also proposed a separate tunnel from either Gyarah Murti or Talkatora Stadium to connect with the same corridor.

As per the meeting minutes, Gadkari recommended incorporating these links into the bids for the INA-Mahipalpur elevated corridor project.

“We can incorporate the provision of carrying out the feasibility studies for the two proposed links in the same. A comprehensive detailed report would be more helpful for better management of traffic,” an official was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

The NHAI has already received consultancy bids to prepare the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the INA-Nelson Mandela Marg link.

The report said, citing the CM’s office, that a separate feasibility study will also assess a potential tunnel link from Sarai Kale Khan to the IGI Airport.

Gadkari “expressed concerns” that the existing INA-Nelson Mandela Marg proposal may not be sufficient to ease congestion in NDMC and Central Delhi, especially as the Delhi-Meerut, Delhi-Dehradun, and DND-Sohna expressways feed more vehicles into already busy corridors like the Ring Road.

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