Savitri flyover doubling: preparatory phase complete, fund approval sought

The project aims to double the one-way Savitri and Kalkaji flyovers and merge them with a new flyover linking the Modi Mill flyover along the Outer Ring Road – a move that officials say is likely to help with the rising traffic issues along key roads in south Delhi.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has completed the soil testing and geological assessment for doubling the one-way flyovers at Savitri Cinema and Kalkaji in south Delhi, officials said on Sunday, adding that they have also sought financial approval to start issuing tender.

The work on ground is likely to begin in the next six months after the bidding process is completed. (Sanchit Khanna/HT PHOTO)

The work on ground is likely to begin in the next six months after the bidding process is completed.

The project aims to double the one-way Savitri and Kalkaji flyovers and merge them with a new flyover linking the Modi Mill flyover along the Outer Ring Road – a move that officials say is likely to help with the rising traffic issues along key roads in south Delhi.

Once complete, the expanded flyover is likely to ease traffic around Chittaranjan Park, Greater Kailash and Nehru Place. However, the construction work, which is expected to last at least a year, will severely disrupt traffic along the arterial road that links south, south-west and south-east Delhi and falls on popular routes to the airport.

“The preparatory works and pre-tendering phase for the project has been completed. Once the Delhi government grants its sanction for financial approval, bids will be invited. The work on ground should start sometime in the middle of next year,” official said.

As per preliminary estimates, the project will likely cost ₹412 crore and will be completed in at least a year after it begins.

Currently, there is a single flyover in front of Savitri Cinema for traffic going from Modi Mill towards IIT, which was built in 2001 and is 1.5km-long, but there is no flyover for traffic coming from IIT towards Kalkaji.

The point acts as a significant bottleneck due to traffic turning towards Greater Kailash and CR Park under the flyover.

HT had earlier reported that PWD plans to construct the flyover from ₹1,000 crore allocated to Delhi under the Central Road Fund (CRF), which requires approval from the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA). The department may make a requisition for additional funds if required, the official said.

The current flyover was built in 2001, but increasing traffic pressure soon left commuters, especially those heading towards Nehru Place, stuck in snaking snarls. Expansion work has been held back even as the project was first proposed in 2015 and approved by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) the next year.

The expansion work will fit into PWD’s larger aim of a signal-free stretch from Sarai Kale Khan to Malviya Nagar.