Innovative technology mulled to decongest Hero Honda Chowk

A city-based consultancy roped in by the Union government to work out a plan to decongest Hero Honda Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, has hinted at an innovative state-of-the-art panacea as the possible solution. Siddhartha Rai reports.

A city-based consultancy roped in by the Union government to work out a plan to decongest Hero Honda Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway, has hinted at an innovative state-of-the-art panacea as the possible solution.

Sources at the firm, Feedback Infrastructure Services Private Ltd, told HT that an Osaka-type model could possibly be worked out for the intersection — though in an Indianised form.

“We are considering many options as of now but the central theme is to decide on a course that involves least displacement of people and evolves an innovative financing model so that no cost is incurred by the people or the government,” said a highly placed Feedback source.

“We haven’t decided as of now, but there is a possibility that we could elevate the straight road or may tunnel a road across,” he added. Union minister of road transport and highways Oscar Fernandes, who was in town on Saturday, also hinted at an innovative approach.

“The Japanese are interested in smoothening their operations in three core areas of industrial interest — Bangalore, Gurgaon and IMT-Manesar. The Japanese ambassador met us and extended technical cooperation in solving the traffic mess here. They have offered us tunneling technology,” Fernandes said at a meeting.

“The problems at Hero Honda Chowk are that of absence of traffic segregation, many conflict points and absence of a dedicated U-turn. The measures employed till now are temporary and inadequate to handle the pressure of peak morning and evening traffic, especially that of pedestrians and non-motorised transport (NMT),” said another Feedback source.

The firm was contacted nearly a month ago to work out a solution to the problem. Company representatives had met the Union minister on Friday and had put five designs on the table for consideration. “We will be able to come out with a concrete solution only by the end of this year. Then it will take at least three years to execute the project,” said a company source.