Delhi: PWD to start surveys for Savitri, Modi Mills flyover works

The ₹412-crore project aims to double the one-way Savitri Cinema and Kalkaji flyovers and link them with a new elevated stretch from the Modi Mill flyover

The Public Works Department (PWD) will start soil investigation and geotechnical surveys for the proposed flyovers at the Modi Mill and Savitri Cinema intersections on the Outer Ring Road in south Delhi, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.

Savitri Cinema flyover. (HT Archive)

The ₹412-crore project aims to double the one-way Savitri Cinema and Kalkaji flyovers and link them with a new elevated stretch from the Modi Mill flyover, creating a continuous flyover corridor along the Outer Ring Road. Officials said construction, expected to take at least a year, will begin only after all statutory approvals are secured from the Union ministry of housing and urban affairs (MoHUA) and other agencies.

“The project proposal has been reviewed by the minister and he has asked to get all necessary permissions from all agencies before starting work. As per past experience, if the permissions are not sorted before starting work, it leads to delays in the project. We are now getting the preparations done like geotechnical and soil investigation,” said a PWD official.

The tests involve drilling deep boreholes to collect soil samples to determine the safe bearing capacity and suitable foundation type for the flyovers.

The official added that as of now, the plan is to construct the flyover from ₹1000 crore allocated to Delhi under the Central Road Fund (CRF), which requires approval from MoHUA. PWD may make a requisition for additional funds if required, the official said.

Officials said traffic diversions will be necessary during construction, likely adding to congestion along the already busy stretch. The department intends to complete preparatory work so that once construction starts, there are no stoppages due to pending permissions.

When complete, the project is expected to ease movement around Chittaranjan Park, Greater Kailash, Chirag Delhi, Kalkaji and Nehru Place — where traffic from the Chirag Delhi flyover currently splits in three directions, often causing jams. The existing 1.5km-long one-way, two-lane Savitri flyover, built in 2001, will be expanded to two lanes in each direction. Another elevated stretch will be built from the Modi Mills flyover.

The plan is part of PWD’s larger push for a signal-free corridor from Sarai Kale Khan to Malviya Nagar.

First proposed in 2015 and cleared by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) in 2016, the project was stalled for years due to funding shortages, land acquisition challenges and delays in tree-felling permissions. A previous survey indicated some private properties near Modi Mills would need to be acquired. PWD minister Parvesh Verma approved the project in April this year.