Stormwater drain work on hold at Gurgaon’s Hero Honda Chowk

Gurgaon: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has put on hold the construction of the proposed stormwater drain along Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bharadwaj Chowk due to lack of clarity on how the stretch will be redeveloped.The authority is redeveloping the 2.2km stretch and has submitted a proposal for an elevated corridor along the same alignment at an estimated cost of Rs 183 crore. The proposal is under consideration and a final decision is awaited.
As a precaution, NHAI has decided to fill the partially constructed stormwater drain, which was planned to address waterlogging, to avoid further expenditure and rework if the elevated corridor is approved. "We have temporarily halted construction of the load-bearing stormwater drain. If the elevated corridor is approved, the alignment of the service road will change. It will likely shift inwards and run beneath the elevated structure, similar to Sohna Road. In that case, the alignment and levels of the drain will have to be revised," an NHAI official said.Earlier, TOI reported that barbed wire was used to fence a portion of the under-construction drain, posing a risk of injury in case of a fall or collision."The stretch remained excavated for a long period, raising safety concerns and the risk of accidents. As a precaution, we decided to backfill the partially constructed drain for now. Other utility works, including shifting of electrical cables and substation-related work, are under way," the official added.Earlier this month, GMRL raised concerns over delays in right of way clearance and utility shifting along the corridor. The section is part of the metro's phase 1. A senior GMRL official said work cannot proceed until the land is cleared. The delay has created a bottleneck in phase 1 of the 15.3km corridor connecting Millennium City Centre to Sector 9.The stormwater drain project, approved in 2017, is part of a plan to upgrade the 5.6 km stretch between Hero Honda Chowk and Dwarka Expressway. Work on the 2.2km section towards Umang Bharadwaj Chowk has faced repeated delays due to design and execution changes.Initially, the road was to be widened into a six-lane corridor with service roads and a flyover at Umang Bharadwaj Chowk. Work was scheduled to begin in 2019 but was later merged with the Gurgaon-Pataudi-Rewari highway project. The start was pushed to Nov 2021 and the deadline to Nov 2023.In 2022, MP and Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh proposed an elevated road between Hero Honda Chowk and Umang Bharadwaj Chowk following demands from local residents and industrial associations. Metro expansion plans added to the delay, with options including an elevated corridor, at-grade redevelopment and a double-decker structure with a metro line on a single pier.In Nov 2023, NHAI paused the revamp and delinked it from the contractor until a final design was decided. In 2024, a six-lane elevated corridor was planned. In 2025, the proposal was dropped and the authorities reverted to the original plan of widening the road and constructing a flyover at Umang Bharadwaj Chowk. GMDA also asked NHAI to include two vehicular underpasses to manage local traffic. NHAI has now submitted a fresh proposal for an elevated corridor.