Officials said that while consultants have been appointed for almost all identified locations, tenders have been invited for the remaining stretches. (Express Photo)As part of its plan to decongest the Capital, the Delhi government is planning to construct 18 new flyovers, underpasses and elevated corridors over the next couple of years, Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh told The Indian Express on Saturday.For this purpose, the department has launched a comprehensive feasibility study covering around 156 km of key roads, intersections and junctions, he added. The study will cover several traffic bottlenecks, including ITO red light, Old Delhi railway station, the NSG junction near Terminal 1 of IGI Airport, the 55-km Ring Road and Mayapuri Chowk, among others.Singh said consultants have been appointed to conduct a feasibility study to determine which of these areas need a flyover, an underpass or an elevated corridor. “The consultants are also preparing detailed project reports (DPRs), along with cost estimates and construction modalities. Once these are ready, proposals will be taken up for approval so that work can begin without delay,” he added.Delhi at present has over 100 flyovers and around 50 underpasses.Maintaining that these interventions are being planned not only to ease traffic congestion, but also to tackle vehicular pollution, Singh said, “These areas see thousands of vehicles daily… and longer waiting time means engines staying on for a longer period, contributing to both air and noise pollution. Keeping all these in mind, PWD has conducted internal studies along with the Delhi Traffic Police… It had also invited suggestions from MLAs before finalising the locations.”Officials said that of the 18 identified stretches, flyovers or elevated corridors have been proposed at 11 locations. These are the NSG intersection, Shadipur depot, Nanaksar Gurudwara T-point to the Delhi-UP border, Shivaji Marg, Sukhi Nahar (over a railway line), Najafgarh-Phirni Road, Janakpuri’s Pankha Road (DESU Colony to D Block), segments of Ring Road, Sagarpur to Mayapuri Chowk, Trunk Drain 1 along Swami Dayanand Marg, and Munak Canal. Officials said that of the 18 identified stretches, flyovers or elevated corridors have been proposed at 11 locations.The other stretches include Keshopur Depot to Outer Ring Road, Outer Ring Road to Haiderpur, Kanjhawala Chowk to Mangolpuri, and the 100-foot road from Anuvrat Marg to the DLF cut.The plan speaks of an elevated corridor over parts of Ring Road, which connects several key areas of the city, including AIIMS, Ashram, Sarai Kale Khan, ITO, Vikas Marg, Punjabi Bagh and Lajpat Nagar.Story continues below this adAnother critical stretch under review is the 7-km Deshbandhu Gupta Road from Paharganj to Ajmeri Gate, located near the Old Delhi railway station and surrounded by congested markets. “This stretch sees mixed traffic because of the market and railway station… An elevated road could significantly improve traffic flow here,” a senior PWD official said.The NSG junction near IGI airport – a four-arm signalised intersection – also handles heavy traffic moving towards Dwarka, the airport and Gurgaon. Officials said that following a joint inspection, a Y-shaped flyover has been proposed with two arms – one connecting the NSG office to Mehram Nagar East, and the other towards Dwarka. “Also, a new U-turn is being planned near Mehram Nagar East after the closure of the earlier one, they added.Other congestion-prone corridors include Shadipur intersection, where an elevated DMRC corridor already exists. Officials said congestion is frequent in the area due to heavy traffic. “We are planning to construct an underpass here,” the official said.Officials said that while consultants have been appointed for almost all identified locations, tenders have been invited for the remaining stretches.Story continues below this adProposals have been submitted to the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) for necessary approvals, they added.Taking on the previous AAP government, Singh said, “The previous government neglected road infrastructure, which has led to the current problems. Our government is working on long-term, on-ground solutions to improve connectivity within Delhi and across NCR.”