Two underpasses on cards to unclog Vatika Chowk, Islampur

Gurgaon: Union minister for road transport and highways Nitin Gadkari on Thursday granted approval for the construction of underpasses at Vatika Chowk and Islampur . Haryana public works department minister Rao Narbir Singh had sent the proposal to the Union ministry seeking its approval.

The underpass at Vatika Chowk is part of a bigger project on the redevelopment of Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), which will include construction of two underpasses and three flyovers .

“The main idea behind the project is to make SPR signal-free,” Singh said in an official release shared by the district administration.

The minister further said once the elevated road on Sohna road is complete, traffic pressure on Vatika Chowk is bound to increase and hence an underpass at the junction is necessary. On similar lines, Singh had also proposed an underpass near Islampur village between Subhash Chowk and Rajiv Chowk on Gurgaon-Sohna Road, which has been approved.

The SPR redevelopment project is likely to cost Rs 282 crore. The proposal was tabled in a GMDA meeting and was approved by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in March. The project includes an underpass at Ghata Chowk apart from the one at Vatika Chowk, along with three flyovers. “The project will also include widening and strengthening of the road,” said a GMDA official.

SPR was launched just two years back by HSVP . However, the heavy intensity of traffic has left the stretch heavily damaged. The road sees movement from heavy vehicles between Faridabad and Gurgaon and there were a lot of complaints about the number of potholes. The redevelopment project had come up after complaints of major congestion at multiple junctions on SPR between Sector 55-56 crossing and Vatika Chowk. Vatika Chowk, especially, witnesses major snarls during rush hours.

According to sources within GMDA, the detailed project report of the project is under progress and is expected to be ready within this month, after which tenders for the project will be floated. It will take approximately two years for the project to be completed after the work has begun.

GMDA officials said redevelopment of SPR will be a major benefit for thousands of residents living in new sectors along the SPR, especially sectors 57-77. It will also take off the pressure from NH-8 by serving as an arterial road.

The Islampur underpass is also likely to ease traffic movement in the area. “Islampur village is spread around the highway, and the heavy traffic on the road is often a cause of inconvenience for both the residents of the village and the commuters trying to move across the highway. The underpass would ease the problem to a great extent,” Singh said.