GMDA explores possibility of double decker road on Delhi- Gurgaon expressway

Gurugram: The Gururgam Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning a series of measures to decongest the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and improve the city’s linkage with the Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials in the know of the matter said Monday

Gurugram: The Gururgam Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning a series of measures to decongest the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and improve the city’s linkage with the Indira Gandhi International Airport, officials in the know of the matter said Monday.

Gurugram: Vehicles stuck in a traffic jam on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway amid dense smog, near Signature Tower in Gurugram, Monday, Dec. 19, 2022. (PTI Photo)(PTI12_19_2022_000184B) (PTI)

GMDA CEO Sudhir Rajpal said that the agency is exploring the possibility of constructing a double-decker road between Sirhaul toll plaza and Rajokri, which will reduce congestion at the border. The steps are being taken after the matter of heavy vehicular congestion was brought to GMDA’s attention by Delhi International Airport Ltd, which operates the Indira Gandhi International Airport. The airport operator expects passenger traffic to multiply manifold in coming years and this is likely to increase congestion on Gurugram roads, said GMDA officials.

“We are planning to take a series of steps to reduce congestion on Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and other city roads connecting Delhi. The matter of congestion on the highway also came up during a meeting with DIAL. The airport operator plans to expand the airport’s capacity substantially and this is likely to have a multiplier effect on the traffic on this highway. We are already seized of this matter and will take up projects with different agencies involved,” said Rajpal.

According to GMDA officials, the airport operator informed them during a meeting that passenger traffic at Indira Gandhi International Airport is likely to increase from its present capacity of 70 million passengers per annum to 109 million passengers by September 2023 and there was an urgent need to decongest the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and to integrate the proposed Metro links with airport line and the Blue line of DMRC.

Rajpal said the agency has proposed that baggage check-in of airline passengers should take place at the proposed Palam Vihar station itself to ensure smooth access to passengers at the airport.

At the Sirhaul toll plaza, the GMDA CEO said they are mooting a proposal to build a double-decker road between Sirhaul toll plaza and Rajokari to reduce congestion at Delhi-Gurgaon border. “This is a permanent choke point and a flyover or a double-decker road could reduce congestion,” he said. The authority also plans to shift the MCD toll plaza at Sirhaul near KMP Expressway for charging green tax from commercial vehicles that enter Delhi.

“We need to work out the modalities of operating this toll plaza some place away from the border and this will reduce congestion significantly at Sirhaul,” he said, adding that they are also seeking a share in the green tax, which presently goes to the Delhi government alone.

The GMDA will also take up the project to connect the tunnel (which NHAI is constructing) between Delhi airport and Vasant Kunj to MG road, which can be done either by building a tunnel under the biodiversity park or a road abutting this park. “A parallel road to Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway will surely help ease the commute. This is only possible if Nelson Mandela Marg is connected to MG Road,” he said.