NEW DELHI: A clash between two major infrastructure projects in north Delhi has thrown a spanner in the Public Works Department’s (PWD) plans to decongest the busy Metcalfe House intersection. The department’s proposal to build a six-lane flyover at the T-junction where the Outer Ring Road meets Hedgewar Road is now under review, owing to an overlapping alignment with the upcoming Namo Bharat rapid rail corridor.
The flyover, announced last month by PWD minister Parvesh Verma, was to begin near the Civil Lines Trauma Centre and DRDO office, extending 680 metres with U-turn loops below it. It was expected to streamline traffic in the Civil Lines area and improve interstate connectivity towards Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.
However, PWD officials revealed that the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) is developing a section of the Sarai Kale Khan-Karnal Namo Bharat corridor that intersects directly with the proposed flyover location. The corridor, part of the semi-high-speed regional rapid transit system (RRTS), has now reached a mature planning stage.
“We have received a request for a no-objection certificate from NCRTC,” a senior PWD official said, adding, “This has forced us to re-evaluate the existing flyover alignment. If needed, we may commission a fresh feasibility study for a double-decker flyover to accommodate both projects.”
The flyover’s feasibility study had been approved earlier this year by the chief secretary, but with the latest developments, the PWD has held back on floating construction tenders.
‘RRTS corridor planned well before flyover’
Meanwhile, NCRTC officials maintain that their rail corridor was conceptualised well before the flyover was finalised. “We’ve approached the state government for necessary permissions. Both projects are important for public convenience, so a balanced solution is essential,” officials said.