New road from South Delhi to IGI

NEW DELHI: A new route from south Delhi to the Indira Gandhi International Airport is being planned with the aim of easing up the outer Ring Road. This route will be partly along the Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road and will come up in three phases from Andheria Mor to NH-8.
Work has already been awarded for the first phase to widen a four-lane road to eight lanes along Vasant Kunj. UK-based consultants have been appointed for suggesting solutions for the second phase after a six-month study.The entire project has been expedited and is being monitored by the urban development ministry, said sources.
Public works department (PWD) is at the helm of the project. "The first phase includes widening of the four-lane road from Andheria Mor to the flyover on the Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road and Nelson Mandela crossing. A sum of Rs 58 crore has been sanctioned for the 3.5 kilometre project," said a senior PWD official associated with the project.
At present, this route along Vasant Kunj has available right of way (ROW) of only 30 metres even though the master plan puts ROW at 75 metres. The recent widening of the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road and development of Aruna Asaf Ali Road have led to very heavy traffic on MG Road and congestion up to IIT gate from Anuvrat Marg and Aurobindo Marg, said officials.
"Widening of this road up to the Aruna Asaf Ali Road will ease up Anuvrat Marg and Aurobindo Marg, as then a lot of traffic will reach outer Ring Road via Aruna Asaf Ali Marg. Travel time from Andheria Mor to IIT will be substantially reduced," said the PWD official.
For the second phase of the project, a solution in the form of a flyover is likely, said officials, as there is a lot of encroachment near Masoodpur Village that needs to be cleared. The third phase of the project includes construction of an urban extension road. The 2.7 kilometre road will connect the Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road near Ryan International School to the NH-8 junction near Shiv Murti. This connectivity proposal, presented by architect Sudhir Vohra, in consultation with NHAI and other agencies, will help commuters bypass the congested Mahipalpur area.
The option of an underpass is also being explored at the Shiv Murti junction, which will provide a connection to the Dwarka Link Road. This will enable Dwarka commuters to avoid the heavily congested Rao Tula Ram Road and the airport stretch. The road will largely pass through uncultivated government land and will be complete with service lanes and other street design features laid down by UTTIPEC.
"UK-based consultants have been appointed for study spanning about six months. The solution expected is a flyover and will require demolition of encroachments," said an official associated with the second phase of the project.
Work is set to begin on a new route to the airport from south Delhi that is being planned by the state public works department (PWD). This route, which will be partly along the Mehrauli-Mahipalpur road, will consist of three phases from Andheria Mor to NH-8 and provide an alternate route to the airport other than outer Ring Road. Work has been awarded for the first phase for widening of a four-lane road to eight lanes along Vasant Kunj, and UK-based consultants have been appointed for suggesting solutions for the second phase. The entire project has been expedited and is being monitored by the urban development ministry, said sources.