Gurgaon: Seven years after plans to redevelop Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) were first drawn up, the project has not moved beyond the paper work. Now, GMDA is beginning yet another round of planning for the key section of the corridor.Around 6-km-long Ghata Chowk-Vatika Chowk stretch forms a key segment of the proposed 12-km SPR elevated corridor project, which is intended to create a signal-free arterial route connecting Ghata Chowk with NH8.The metropolitan authority has invited bids to appoint a consultant for preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the proposed elevated corridor between Ghata Chowk and Vatika Chowk. The move comes even as another section of the larger SPR elevated corridor project — between Vatika Chowk and NH8 — awaits fresh bidding after a Rs 755-crore construction tender was withdrawn earlier this month.Once completed, the 12-km corridor is expected to integrate with an interchange planned at Vatika Chowk, where an elevated structure over the Gurgaon-Sohna Highway and an underpass along SPR are constructed to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement.Officials said that the consultant will be responsible for carrying out detailed surveys, traffic assessments, geotechnical investigations and structural studies before preparing the DPR and bidding documents for execution. The agency will be tasked to prepare alignment options, utility mapping, pavement analysis, structural design, traffic simulations and identification of service relocation requirements.A GMDA official told TOI, “We have initiated the process of appointing a consultant for the upgradation of SPR between Vatika Chowk and Ghata Chowk. Once the agency is on board, it will take around three months to prepare the DPR. After receiving the necessary approvals, a construction tender will be floated. The proposed elevated corridor is being planned on the lines of Dwarka Expressway, with the objective of ensuring seamless traffic movement along the corridor. Other aspects of service road, drainage and footpath will also be addressed.”The development of SPR has been envisioned as a major east-west connectivity in Gurgaon, linking rapidly expanding residential and commercial clusters in southern sectors with key highways and arterial stretches such as NH8, Sohna Road, Dwarka Expressway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Gurgaon-Faridabad Road. With Dwarka Expressway and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway now operational, the traffic volume has increased manifold on this road. However, the redevelopment of SPR has seen multiple revisions over the years.In 2019, GMDA proposed two options for the SPR revamp, ultimately opting for a signal-free design featuring three flyovers and two underpasses at a cost of Rs 281.9 crore. However, constant revisions to incorporate additional flyovers, cycle tracks, green spaces and metro planning delayed the project. By June 2022, the estimated project cost swelled to Rs 845.5 crore, with plans for eight flyovers, a six-lane main carriageway and three-lane service roads.In Aug 2023, questions about traffic volume projections led to scrapping of the plan of three flyovers between Vatika Chowk and NH8. Subsequently, in July 2024, GMDA secured approval for an elevated corridor between Vatika Chowk and NH8 at a revised cost of Rs 750 crore, while keeping the plan of five flyovers between Ghata Chowk and Vatika Chowk.Subsequently, the project underwent further re-evaluation for Ghata Chowk and Vatika Chowk, after suggestions of underpasses were made to ensure long-term integration with future infrastructure such as metro corridors. In Nov last year, the govt finally approved an elevated-corridor-based approach for the entire SPR stretch between Ghata Chowk and NH8.Despite the approval, the project has not moved beyond the paperwork. A Rs 755-crore tender floated in March for the construction of the Vatika Chowk-NH8 section was later withdrawn in June after the bidding deadline was extended twice, with officials citing administrative reasons.Meanwhile, residents said years of planning and repeated revisions have done little to improve conditions on the ground, with traffic congestion on SPR continuing to worsen.Rajat Srivastava, a resident of Sector 70A, told TOI, “We have been hearing about the redevelopment of SPR for years, but nothing seems to be moving on the ground. Every delay is a missed opportunity because traffic conditions are only getting worse. The corridor is completely choked during peak hours. At some junctions, it can take 10 to 15 minutes just to cross a signal. Traffic volume is increasing, but the authorities still appear to be stuck in the planning stage.”
