Delhi govt plans six-lane upgrade for Najafgarh peripheral road

New Delhi: The Delhi government plans to widen the heavily encroached upon and congested four-lane Najafgarh peripheral road into a six-lane corridor to unclog the area and improve interstate connectivity with Haryana, officials said on Sunday

New Delhi: The Delhi government plans to widen the heavily encroached upon and congested four-lane Najafgarh peripheral road into a six-lane corridor to unclog the area and improve interstate connectivity with Haryana, officials said on Sunday.

One of southwest Delhi’s busiest corridors, the Najafgarh peripheral road serves as a key route for motorists traveling from Dwarka, Matiala, Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri, Janakpuri, and adjoining areas toward Bahadurgarh. (Representative photo)

One of southwest Delhi’s busiest corridors, the Najafgarh peripheral road serves as a key route for motorists traveling from Dwarka, Matiala, Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri, Janakpuri, and adjoining areas toward Bahadurgarh.

However, heavy vehicular traffic, roadside markets, dense residential development, and widespread encroachments have reduced the road’s effective one-way width from about 30 feet to 20–25 feet at several locations, resulting in severe bottlenecks.

A senior Public Works Department (PWD) official said that under the decongestion project, cleared by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), the agency aims to ease the chronic congestion while also improving connectivity between Delhi and Haryana, particularly Bahadurgarh and Gurugram.

This project is part of the government’s larger plan to decongest, retrofit and redesign 77 busy roads in the city under the Integrated Transit Corridor Development and Street Network Connectivity Plan.

Officials said they examined three alternatives, including building a flyover, before opting for road widening at grade. “The flyover proposal was dropped because it would have required acquiring hundreds of private properties, making land acquisition costs substantially higher than the construction cost itself. Widening the existing road was the most cost-effective solution and would adequately cater to projected traffic demand until 2038,” the official explained.

According to officials, the construction of a footpath, a cycle lane, and a green zone has also been proposed. The project involves removing encroachments along the corridor and acquiring additional land wherever required, officials added.

Authorities will also relocate electricity poles, street furniture, and some high-tension wires that currently stand within the carriageway. “To complement the road expansion, parking facilities will be created at several locations — including the main Najafgarh market, Dhansa Bus Stand, Najafgarh police station, and key junctions along the corridor — with dedicated spaces for two-wheelers and cars aimed at reducing on-street parking that currently narrows the roadway,” a second official explained.

“Parking facilities for 25 vehicles will be developed near Dhansa Bus Stand, 35 units near the Najafgarh Police Station, 30 vehicles on the opposite side of the station, and 70 near the Dhansa-Bahadurgarh Road junction. Additionally, a parking area will be created at the Dhansa-Najafgarh junction,” the official explained.

As part of the traffic management strategy, authorities also plan to divert heavy commercial vehicles from the Phirni Road by improving connectivity with the Najafgarh Bypass and Urban Extension Road-II (UER-II).

Officials expect that once vehicular traffic bound for Rohtak, Dwarka, and Gurugram shifts to these corridors, congestion on the existing road will reduce significantly.

During discussions on the proposal, the field staff also flagged the large number of buses operating in the area due to the presence of several bus depots and suggested exploring the relocation of some depots to ease congestion further.

The corridor widening is likely to help commuters traveling between Bahadurgarh (Haryana) and areas such as Dwarka and Matiala in southwest Delhi, as well as Uttam Nagar, Vikaspuri, Tilak Nagar, and their surroundings in West Delhi.

Dilabagh Singh, a commuter stuck on Phirni Road, said: “Entire Phirni Road Najafgarh is choked with traffic, and not a single traffic officer is visible. Not a single vehicle is moving from Khaira toward Dhansa Stand and Najafgarh Phirni to Sai Baba Mandir,” Singh added.

Ranjeet Dabas, a resident of Dhansa, said that the entire Phirni Road is full of encroachment. “It is impossible to pass this road during the evening hours. Half of the road width has been encroached upon by shops and vendors. Even a bus passing the road brings entire traffic to a halt,” he added.