NEW DELHI: In a move aimed at easing traffic congestion in the national capital, the Rekha Gupta government is planning to construct an elevated corridor over the city’s Inner Ring Road.
The Inner Ring Road currently spans around 55 kilometres, starting from the Shalimar Bagh area in north Delhi and extending to Azadpur. However, the proposed elevated corridor is expected to be approximately 80 kilometres long, taking into account ramps, loops, and additional link roads to improve connectivity and address bottlenecks.
The cost of constructing an elevated road is estimated at about Rs 100 crore per kilometre. This project is estimated to be completed at a cost of Rs 5,500-6,000 crore.
PWD Minister Parvesh Verma has directed officials to appoint a consultant and begin work on preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed corridor. In a recent meeting, Verma stressed the need to improve vehicular movement along the heavily congested Inner Ring Road.
“Looking at the increasing traffic load on the Ring Road, we plan to construct this elevated corridor over the existing road. Some land will be acquired, and ramps and loops will be built to connect the elevated road with arterial routes,” Verma said.
Intersections like AIIMS, Moolchand, Dhaula Kuan, Ashram, and ITO are choke points where arterial routes intersect with heavy local traffic. While flyovers and underpasses have been built at some locations, they often only shift the congestion rather than resolve it. Delhi’s two ring roads bear the maximum load of traffic and remain clogged during peak hours. Adding to the capacity of the existing road would help ease congestion on the current corridor while also decongesting other roads that connect with the Ring Road.
Since a large volume of traffic using the Ring Road disperses onto other important arterial roads—such as Mathura Road, Aurobindo Marg, DND Flyway—or heads toward the airport, Gurgaon, Rohtak Road, and other highways, traffic movement is expected to become obstruction-free with the construction of the new elevated road.
“PWD has been asked to expedite the process of appointing a consultant who will prepare the technical and feasibility aspects of the report,” Verma said. The project is part of the government’s broader plan to tackle traffic congestion at several choke points, many of which fall along the Ring Road corridor. Verma said an expert committee formed earlier to address traffic issues will meet this week to discuss further steps.