New Delhi: In what could bring relief to a large number of commuters in and around ITO, east Delhi, Dhaula Kuan and several parts of west Delhi, redevelopment work on five of the busiest road corridors in the city is expected to start soon.The five priority corridors identified for redevelopment are Minto Road–ITO–Karkardooma, Minto Road–Aruna Asaf Ali Marg–Delhi Gate, Netaji Subhash Marg–Shanti Van–MG Marg–ITO–IP Estate Metro, Dhaula Kuan–Jail Road/Cariappa Marg–Tilak Nagar crossing, and Uttam Nagar–Tilak Nagar–Rajouri Garden (Najafgarh Road).LG Taranjit Singh Sandhu on Tuesday chaired a meeting to review the progress by way of coordination between the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA) and the road-owning agencies, emphasised that the project should aim to make the traffic-heavy stretches free of dust and resultant ambient air pollution, as was outlined by CAQM.The five corridors connect key office hubs, markets, metro stations and residential areas across central, east and west Delhi, carrying lakhs of daily commuters. Corridors around ITO, Delhi Gate and MG Marg routinely witness congestion, dust pollution, damaged footpaths and waterlogging due to dense office, commercial and freight movement. Similarly, the Dhaula Kuan and Jail Road stretches face heavy traffic and encroachments, causing inconvenience for pedestrians.The Minto Road–ITO–Karkardooma and Minto Road–Delhi Gate corridors are among the capital’s busiest administrative and institutional spines, carrying heavy office load towards ITO, courts, govt offices, educational institutions and Old Delhi markets. Frequent bottlenecks, damaged footpaths, poor drainage and severe roadside dust make commuting difficult, especially during peak hours and monsoon months.The Netaji Subhash Marg–Shanti Van–MG Marg stretch along the Yamuna functions as a critical mobility and freight corridor connecting Old Delhi, Ring Road and east Delhi. Constant movement of buses and commercial vehicles has led to high levels of dust pollution, traffic chaos and poor pedestrian infrastructure. According to officials, green verges, better drainage and integrated cycle tracks can significantly improve air quality and commuter experience.The Uttam Nagar–Tilak Nagar–Rajouri Garden stretch on Najafgarh Road is one of west Delhi’s busiest mixed-use corridors, witnessing residential, market and metro feeder traffic throughout the day.Key features of the redevelopment plan include a foolproof stormwater drainage system aimed at preventing flooding and eliminating silt accumulation on roads — a major source of dust pollution in Delhi. The proposal also includes development of scientific green central verges with grass carpeting and piped irrigation systems to replace water tankers currently used for watering roadside plantations.Other components of the project include integrated pedestrian pathways and cycle tracks with public utilities and resting shelters, organised movable vending zones and cultural craft bazaars to promote a night-time economy, as well as improved streetlighting, short-duration parking facilities and CCTV-based security infrastructure aimed at enhancing safety for women and children.An SPA official said the transit corridors, once completed, will not only serve as models of dust-mitigation, but will be transformed into green pedestrian-friendly, employment-oriented and recreational stretches that will be functional 24X7. He said the project will also boost local markets and create more active, walkable public spaces across Delhi.LG Sandhu stressed the exercise should bring the people of the city close to these stretches so as to instil a sense of ownership of these public assets in them. This, in turn, will ensure safety, security and proper maintenance, apart from providing much-needed open recreational spaces, he said.LG also directed SPA to come up with designs that ensure pavements are paved in a manner where the material is adequately porous to facilitate water seepage but strong enough to require minimal maintenance.