Pedestrian bridge to come up on Ring Road near Monastery Market

There was a demand to construct a bridge near the market because of significant pedestrian movement and high-speed vehicular movement on Ring Road.

Delhi’s public works department (PWD) will soon construct a pedestrian bridge on Ring Road opposite the Budh Vihar Monastery Market near ISBT Kashmere Gate in north Delhi.

PWD will soon construct a pedestrian bridge on Ring Road opposite the Budh Vihar Monastery Market near ISBT Kashmere Gate. (Hindustan Times)

The department had got financial and administrative clearances from the government to build the bridge. PWD officials said the pedestrian facility will be disabled-friendly as it will also have lifts other than stairs.

There was a demand to construct a bridge near the market because of significant pedestrian movement and high-speed vehicular movement on Ring Road.

“The move is aimed at improving pedestrian access across the arterial road. The proposal to construct a pedestrian facility opposite the market was drafted after several demands and feasibility study,” a PWD official privy to the development said.

At present, there are around 80 pedestrian bridges, also called foot over bridges (FOBs), and over 50 subways at different locations of the city to provide smooth access to pedestrians. But most of them remain underutilised.

The government has also sanctioned an estimated Rs 2.52 crore for the construction of the facility.

According to PWD officials, the stretch near Monastery Market is one of the accident-prone areas on Ring Road because of heavy footfall due to the market and a temple nearby.

“It is risky to cross the road at grade here on Ring Road because of high-speed traffic at all the time. There was a demand from pedestrians to construct a pedestrian facility here because of the high-risk factor,” the official said.

The official said after financial clearance, tenderig modalities would be completed and construction would begin in the next three to four months.

Last year, PWD approved FOBs at many places, including Tamil Sangam Marg, Lal Bahadur Shashtri Marg near Seikh Sarai, near Metcalfe House at Ring Road, Rao Tula Ram Marg, Sri Aurobindo Marg near Hauz Khas, near Shakarpur village on Ring Road, ISBT Sarai Kale Khan, Mayapuri and Harswaroop Colony near Fatehpur Beri.