NHAI invites bids for ₹378-cr Ashram-Badarpur stretch revamp; congestion fears loom

The eight-kilometre corridor carries around 500,000 vehicles during peak hours and has faced years of congestion linked to multiple infrastructure projects.

Ashram Chowk, one of Delhi’s most congested intersections, is set for another round of redevelopment, with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) inviting bids for a ₹378-crore revamp of the eight-kilometre Mathura Road stretch between Ashram and the Badarpur border. The project, once it begins, is expected to significantly add to traffic disruptions in the critical stretch of south-east Delhi.

The redevelopment will cover the stretch from Ashram to the Badarpur border, with work including bridges, intersections, drainage and road upgrades. (HT Archive)

An NHAI official said on Wednesday that the bidding process was likely to be completed by the end of November.

According to Delhi Traffic Police data, the congested stretch in southeast Delhi carries around 500,000 vehicles during peak hours.

The official, who did not wish to be named, said the project scope will include rehabilitation of the entire carriageway and augmentation of the existing carriageway to four lanes.

“The project will involve rehabilitating the existing carriageway and augmenting it to four lanes. The work will also include new pavements, repairs to existing road surfaces, construction and rehabilitation of bridges, redesigning intersections and interchanges, and upgrading the drainage system,” the official explained.

The executing agency will also undertake maintenance for 10 years, during which it will be responsible for repairs, cleaning and repairing drains, and maintaining road markings, lighting, signs, and traffic-control devices.

Earlier this April, the Union government told Lok Sabha that it would develop three major stretches, including Ashram to Badarpur, largely signal-free.

Responding to a supplementary question, the minister of state for road transport and Delhi Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Harsh Malhotra, said that the NHAI is preparing the detailed project reports for the three stretches. The minister also said three flyovers will be built on the Ashram-Badarpur stretch to make it mostly signal-free, and the project report states the work will be executed over two years.

Project to expand carriageway and upgrade infrastructure.

Over the past decade, the Ashram intersection and its peripheral connecting roads have been under a perpetual cycle of congestion due to a series of projects.

Ashram corridor has faced years of construction-related disruption

The Ashram underpass project started on December 24, 2019, and after multiple hurdles, missed deadlines and delays, it was finally inaugurated in April 2022.

It was followed by the Ashram flyover extension project, which started in June 2020 and opened to the public on March 6, 2023. These two projects made one of the Capital’s most crucial intersections—one that connects south and central Delhi and virtually serves as the link between two NCR cities, Noida and Faridabad—a nightmare for commuters.

Work on the Modi Mill-Kalkaji flyover project is currently creating chaos along the arterial route at the intersection of this corridor with the Outer Ring Road.

The Mathura Road corridor between Ashram and Badarpur suffers from multiple problems, turning what should ideally be a 15-minute commute into chaotic travel. The stretch has multiple cuts and road-design problems that exacerbate the issue.

The stretch has four problematic intersections and crossings at Madanpur Khadar, Apollo Hospital, Mata Mandir Marg, and Okhla.

Even at the mouth of the Ashram underpass, narrow left turns create a bottleneck, where left-turning vehicles disrupt underpass traffic flow.

Similarly, congestion occurs near the traffic intersection close to New Friends Colony as vehicles come down from the Modi Mill flyover loop.

Residents and commuters describe the impact

Meanwhile, Shiv Mehra from Maharani Bagh Residents Welfare Association said the proposed revamp must be assessed in the context of its wider impact on traffic across South Delhi. “Maharani Bagh’s internal roads are already being used as shortcuts, creating serious disruption for residents. At the same time, traffic on CV Raman Marg continues to rise, despite expectations that traffic connected with the Mumbai Expressway would be diverted away from it.”

“Without assessment, the proposed improvement could make daily life in Maharani Bagh even more difficult,” he added.

Ajay Singh, a regular commuter on the corridor, said the stretch from Apollo Hospital to Mohan Estate metro station faces acute congestion, with traffic crawling in the evenings. “There is also a CNG pump where vehicles stop and create a massive traffic jam, and the worst thing is all the e-rickshaw drivers drive on the wrong side, but traffic police are nowhere to be seen,” he added.