The Congress is planning to woo Delhi voters with a promise to construct ‘double-decker roads’ — a first in India — to decongest Capital’s busiest stretches. The party is already highlighting its achievement in infrastructure development in its 15 years of rule in the National Capital.
As the Assembly election is inching closer, the Congress is showcasing its achievement of constructing 65 flyovers and successfully accomplishing several big projects such as extension of Barapullah elevated road from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium to INA Market. The Sarai Kale Khan to Mayur Vihar phase II connection will also be the part of the Congress manifesto in Delhi.
Top sources told The Pioneer that plans are afoot to include the promise of constructing double-decker roads in the party’s manifesto to be released next week. “If the Sheila Dikshit Government comes to power for the fourth consecutive term, it will construct double-decker roads or multi-level roads to make Delhi a world-class city and end traffic nightmare,” said a Congress leader, who is a member of the Congress manifesto committee. The leader took pride in informing the correspondent that the proposal is first of its kind in the country.
According to sources, there are two options for the double-decker-roads project — East West corridor from Pragati Maidan to Punjabi Bagh via New Delhi railway station, Rohtak Road, and the
other is from Dhaula Kuan to Mukarba Chowk grade separator. The latter may be chosen as a pilot project.
The project includes providing additional lanes to the existing roads, and construction of new access roads to help ease congestion and facilitating faster movement of traffic. When asked which stretch would be chosen for the pilot project, the Congress leader said that the final decision will be taken only after the Congress comes to power for the fourth consecutive term.
Experts say that the double-decker roads are most suitable option for Delhi to ease traffic congestion as there are space constraint in Delhi. Moreover new flyovers are no longer helpful in clearing the congestion.
A double-decker road in Doha in Dubai has ensured smooth traffic to Burj Dubai, Dubai International Financial Centre and Dubai Mall. Kenya has recently invited a global tender for double-decker roads. The proposed elevated highway that will run above the existing Mombasa road-Uhuru Highway and Waiyaki Waki covering a distance of four km is part of the National Urban Improvement Project that contains several components and which is aimed to address the transport crisis in East Africa’s busiest Capital.
It would be pertinent to mention that Delhi, at present, has almost 75 lakh vehicles, which is 15 per cent of country’s vehicular population. “If the trend continues, it will have 250 lakh vehicles in the next 20 years and the existing road network would not be sufficient to tackle vehicular pressure,” said an officer of engineering wing of Public Works Department of the Delhi Government.