Fund approved for Ring Road repair: PWD

The identified stretches were last repaired in 2016 and were originally scheduled for strengthening in 2021. However, delays in fund release pushed the work back by more than four years.

Stretches of Ring Road and Outer Ring Road — awaiting revamp since 2021 — are finally set for repair and strengthening work, officials of the Public Works Department (PWD) said on Friday, adding that the project has received clearance from the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CRIF) allocations for Delhi.

Officials said that the repair of arterial stretches such as Nelson Mandela Road has been a persistent concern of commuters, adding to travel time and congestion.

The identified stretches were last repaired in 2016 and were originally scheduled for strengthening in 2021. However, delays in fund release pushed the work back by more than four years.

“Funding has been the primary hurdle. With CRIF now cleared, we will take up the long-pending stretches one by one. However, restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap) during the upcoming winter may affect timelines,” a senior PWD official said.

Important links connecting the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, as well as arterial roads feeding into major traffic corridors will be taken up fro repair on priority.

The stretches include Road 100 on Outer Ring Road to Ring Road that is about 1.75km long and will cost around ₹26.25 lakh, Road 101 from Tamil Sangam Marg to Africa Avenue Marg is about 1.20km and will cost ₹25.2 lakh.

Another stretch from Church Road to Africa Avenue Marg is about 0.8km long and estimated cost of repairs here is ₹10.8 lakh. From Poorvi Marg to Paschimi Marg, repairs will cost ₹6 lakh. From Ring Road to Som Nath Marg, which is about a kilometre long, the estimated cost is ₹7.2 lakh. Road strengthening of Nelson Mandela Road from the Outer Ring Road to Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road carriageway, which is a 4.04km long stretch, is expected to cost ₹5.54 crore.

Officials said that the repair of arterial stretches such as Nelson Mandela Road has been a persistent concern of commuters, adding to travel time and congestion.

“These are some of the busiest corridors in South Delhi. The delay in repair work has worsened surface conditions and added to traffic snarls, especially during peak hours,” an official said.

Commuters using these corridors daily said they have been grappling with broken patches, uneven surface, and frequent traffic jams due to delayed repairs, but the start of repair work may further aggravate the problem.

“It has been years since any proper work was done on these roads. Even small patches cause massive jams during office hours. The repair work may bring relief, but the pattern we have seen is that it is left dug up for days, adding to traffic as well as dust,” said Rajesh Kumar, a resident of Vasant Vihar.

In total, over 140 road and flyover works have been sanctioned under this ₹803.39 crore CRIF allocation, covering major districts of Delhi. While announcing the fund allocation by the centre, PWD minister Parvesh Verma had said that the PWD has committed to strict monitoring, adherence to timelines, and transparency in execution.