Gurgaon: Nearly two decades after a road link between southwest Delhi and the city was first proposed, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has revived the project, this time with the connectivity grid around the Dwarka Expressway already in place.NHAI has proposed to build a connector linking the Upper Dwarka Expressway, a 10km road built by GMDA in 2023, with the proposed Urban Extension Road-I (UER-I), which connects to Najafgarh.“We are in the process of engaging a consultant for preparation of a detailed project report (DPR). The agency will examine the feasibility of the project and prepare the technical and financial assessment,” an NHAI official said.The consultant will study the alignment, traffic needs, land requirements, road design, drainage, structures and junctions, and estimate the project’s cost. It will also assess whether underpasses, flyovers or grade-separated intersections are needed.Of the nearly 49km road network under the NHAI consultancy, around 5km will connect UER-I to the city’s 75-metre road.UER-I will link the Chandigarh highway, Rohtak Road, UER-II, Bahadurgarh and the Sonipat spur before joining NH-8 at Kapashera. Once built, it would let traffic bypass congested parts of Delhi — offering an alternative to the national capital existing radial road network.For the city, the link would give commuters an alternative route to Delhi’s western and northern outskirts and strengthen ties to the wider Dwarka Expressway corridor.GMDA’s 2023 project connected sectors 99 and 115, creating a wide road up to the Delhi border. But the route’s full benefit hasn’t been realised because the link on the Delhi side remains incomplete.The gap between Sector 109 and Najafgarh Road in Delhi spans about 4km. While roughly 2.5km on the Gurgaon side is already a 75-metre-wide road, the route narrows sharply after entering Delhi. Two stretches remain bottlenecks: a 300-metre patch before the Bajghera MCD toll booth, and a 1.3-km stretch through Raghopur village.The Delhi-side link has been pending for nearly two decades even as traffic pressure has grown with rapid development along the city’s Dwarka Expressway corridor and Delhi’s northern and western areas.The issue has also come up at NCR Planning Board. An estimate of around Rs 103 crore — including acquisition of nearly 25 acres — was prepared for upgrading the stretch. However, Haryana govt earlier declined to fund the project, arguing the pending stretches fall within Delhi and should be built by Delhi govt.Efforts to integrate the road with UER-I picked up this year. In March, MLA Mukesh Sharma wrote to Union road transport and highways minister Nitin Gadkari, seeking integration of the Upper Dwarka Expressway with UER-I. In May, GMDA’s CEO wrote to Delhi govt urging quicker action on widening and building the 75-metre link.The project has stayed stuck despite several rounds of talks between Haryana and Delhi officials over the past three years, with discussions ongoing at senior levels since 2023.
