Delhi: Elevated bicycle track proposed on Vikas Marg

The public works department (PWD) has finalized its site plan for the Vikas Marg stretch, spanning over 3

The public works department (PWD) has finalized its site plan for the Vikas Marg stretch, spanning over 3.25km, between Preet Vihar and Karkari Mor in east Delhi under the ambitious road redesigning and streetscaping project and the works on this stretch will be carried out in two phases, said officials aware of the development.

Delhi: Elevated bicycle track proposed on Vikas Marg

A senior PWD official associated with project said in the first phase, the department has proposed beautification and redesigning of the road while developing an elevated bicycle track just below the metro pillars has been proposed for the second phase.

“If the project is a success, it will be the first elevated cycle track developed along the metro pillars, which will later be replicated in other sites,” said the official.

The plan submitted by the east circle zone states that there will be dedicated parking spaces, cycle tracks and footpaths on both sides of the carriageway. The overhead electrical wires will also be shifted to underground utility boxes, on the lines of the Chandni Chowk revamp plan.

The senior official said currently, broken footpaths, lack of streetlights on pedestrian pathways and on-street parking plague the stretch. The plan also proposes earmarking separate green belts and provision of water tanks for maintenance of redeveloped areas.

The official said two green belts--having a width of 0.75m and 0.67m -- have been proposed on either side of service lanes, which will be 3.4m wide. Among the other greening interventions, the PWD has also proposed vertical greens and landscaping of the metro pillars which will be decorated with mosaic tiles.

“There are two metro stations on this stretch; the elevated bicycle tracks can have surface level exits at these points,” said the official.

In August this year, the PWD inaugurated a 700 metre pilot streetscaped stretch near Chirag Dilli while the overall street scaping and redesigning project will be replicated over 540km of arterial roads, which are wider than 100ft.

In the first phase, eleven such corridors are being developed. Some of the stretches that have been taken up for development include the Vikas Marg stretch, the 2.1km long stretch between Mother dairy and Narwana road, the 4km of Ring road from Moolchand to Nehru Nagar, 6km of Rithala road from Wazirpur till Rithala, the 8.5km of Ring road from Moti Bagh to Mayapuri and the 4.8km from Moti Nagar to Pusa road.

“Each portion of the Vikas Marg stretch will have different beautification features with common elements such as bicycle tracks, pedestrian friendly infrastructure, street furniture and designer benches. Three levels of greenery with shrubs and trees are also part of the plan,” said the official.