4.2 km long SPR Road (Southern Peripheral Road) elevated corridor from Vatika Chowk-NH8 in 3 yrs
Gurgaon: Interchanges, loops and ramps at key junctions to ensure seamless entry and exit for traffic — a 4.2 km elevated corridor is being built on the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) between NH8 and Vatika Chowk
GMDA has called for requests for proposal (RFP) to construct the elevated corridor. The project will cost an estimated Rs 755 crore and turn the busy stretch into a signal-free corridor while improving connectivity between key highways and the fast-growing residential and commercial hinterland along SPR.
Once the contract is awarded, completion of the project is anticipated to take approximately 30 months. At that rate, it would take more than seven months to complete 1km of the corridor. The structure will stretch above the current road. The system will be similar to the grade-separated access systems developed along Dwarka Expressway, critical transport officials said. The corridor, once completed, will enable speedy connectivity between Dwarka Expressway, NH8 and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and cause less strain on vital junctions like Vatika Chowk and Subhash Chowk.
The overhaul of the SPR stretch between Vatika Chowk and NH8 into a signal-free corridor, is expected to ease upper traffic volumes hitting roads in the region, and reduce travel time on one of the capital’s most important links, said agencies.
“The agency, that will be selected through the tender, will not only construct the corridor but it will also operate, manage and maintain it for 10 years after completion,” said a GMDA official.
GMDA chief executive PC Meena said, “Urban expansion is speeding up in Gurgaon and developing high-capacity road infrastructure will be crucial to facilitate the rising mobility requirements of the city, besides maintaining its economic growth. The proposed infrastructure upgrading will also serve residents and commuters from multiple sectors situated alongside and strewn around the SPR corridor, comprising newly development residential- and commercial clusters. This project is a continuation of our vision to boost city road infrastructure and enable a better urban mobility ecosystem that will be more efficient, modern and future-ready.
The plan involves building an eight-lane elevated corridor from Vatika Chowk to NH8. The project also features a six-lane surface road with two-lane service roads on both sides. Major intersections on the proposed stretch will have two-lane ramps for efficient movement of traffic, while an interchange at NH8 will facilitate uninterrupted movement towards the national highway.
As part of Phase II, an interchange at Vatika Chowk will also be constructed which will create better synergy between SPR and Sohna elevated corridor, officials said. “The documents are in preparation and the tender for this will be floated soon,” said a GMDA official. SPR has become one of the main mobility corridors of the city, connecting residents with Golf Course Extension Road, Sohna Road, Dwarka Expressway and Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The intersection had become increasingly congested in recent years due to rapid residential development along the stretch, significantly increasing traffic there.
The project will also provide an alternate route for commuters travelling between Dwarka Expressway, southern Gurgaon and Sohna or Faridabad, thereby lessening traffic burden on the congested crossings in Gurgaon city, officials said.
Before construction can start, authorities will need to move several utilities that run along the route. “We have the necessary right of way, so I don’t think there is going to be any significant problem on that front. Of the project estimate, about Rs 40 crore was earmarked for utility shifting, which includes high-tension power lines and underground utilities such as gas pipelines. Most of the ROW is clear. This stretch is not very wooded and, if any clearance is required, needed permissions will be taken,” a GMDA official said.
But residents said that once work starts, adequate traffic management will be essential. A BPTP Astaire Gardens Housing Society resident, Neehar Ranjan said the project was well-timed and must be needed to come earlier. “The traffic on SPR Road rose drastically, especially after the Dwarka Expressway was opened. This is a road that gets heavy and commuter traffic, and the amount of this multiplied through the years,” he said.
Construction should be done with little disruption to traffic, he said. “SPR serves as the primary arterial road for many sectors and housing societies in this part of the city and several thousand residents rely on it for their daily commuting. Authorities will have to ensure that traffic movement during construction is managed properly so that the corridor does not become a major bottleneck,” Ranjan said.
Source : Gurgaon News – The Times of India
