Sanath Road being redesigned to be more pedestrian and cyclist friendly

According to a 2017 survey by a private company, Nagarro, over 1,500 cyclists and 4,500 pedestrians use the stretch every day. It is being redeveloped as a model road and is the second such redesign in the city after the redesign of Iffco Chowk

The 2.5km Sanath Road, which connects Atlas Chowk on NH-48 with the Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road, is being redesigned at a cost of ₹10.49 crore to make it more cyclist and pedestrian friendly, said officials, adding that the redesigned road will be opened to users by December this year.

DC Nishant Kumar Yadav visited Sanath Road to survey the ongoing construction activities in Sector 18, near Sirhaul village, in Gurugram on Thursday. (Parveen Kumar/ HT Photo)

Anath Road, in addition to being a transit hub for travellers between Delhi and Udyog Vihar, is also a commercial hub with offices of numerous MNCs. According to a 2017 survey by a private company, Nagarro, over 1,500 cyclists and 4,500 pedestrians use the stretch every day. It is being redeveloped as a model road and is the second such redesign in the city after the redesign of Iffco Chowk.

Officials said the redesigning of the road will help in making it congestion free. The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) and Raahagiri Foundation have prepared the redesign plan, said officials, adding that the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) will complete sewer work within a month and lay a new sewer line along the carriageway as well as strengthening and cleaning the existing sewer lines.

“Overhead power lines are being shifted underground by Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN), and since the work is running behind schedule, officials concerned have been instructed to complete the work at the earliest,” said Gurugram deputy commissioner Nishant Kumar Yadav, adding that Raahgiri Foundation will develop the footpath, cycle tracks, rain garden and landscaping of green belt.

Yadav also visited the stretch to review the work progress on Thursday and directed civic agencies to complete the stormwater drain work, laying of sewage lines, underground cables and streetlights by the end of the year.

“The stretch had a 30m width and the pavements were discontinuous. There was constant traffic congestion and poor drainage was leading to waterlogging in monsoon.Also, haphazard utilities, encroachments and on-road parking made it challenging to redesign the street,” he said.

Officials said on a weekday, over 20,000 pedestrians and 3,000 cyclists use the street as well as private vehicles, taxis, autos and trucks. “The road is also used by several modes of transport, leading to congestion. These include private buses, institutional buses, state buses, minibuses, trucks, private cars, autos, two-wheelers and taxis,” Yadav said.

“The new street design is proposed for better vehicular and non-motorised integrated movement, with organised parking, drop-off and waiting areas. The new design will feature dedicated pavements and cycling paths shaded by a green belt, a bus bay, and pedestrian crossings,” he said.

A senior GMDA official said a comprehensive integration of all services, including drainage, sewer, electrical, lighting, pedestrian and cycle infrastructure, has been planned. “Unique multidisciplinary collaboration has been done between government departments, CSR , planners/consultants, urban designers and landscape architects. We have saved over 380 mature trees and many smaller ones. Not a single tree on this stretch has been felled. We have a sustainable approach to integrated design for road and pedestrian safety,” he said, asking not to be named.

Built in 1991, ahead of a UK delegation visit to the city, the road had fallen into disrepair over the years. Hoping to invite attention to its pitiful state, MNCs and residents of nearby Sector 18 in 2010 conducted a ceremony to name the stretch Anath Road as it was “orphaned by civic agencies”.

The ceremony caught the state government’s attention, and the then finance minister Birender Singh directed the public works department (PWD) to repair the road. However, it is unclear whether any repairs were carried out at all.