Akanksha.Gupta
At present, the junction has an eight-lane flyover along NH8 and a six-lane straight underpass on Sohna Road
Gurgaon: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has finalised the alignment for two proposed flyovers at Rajiv Chowk.NHAI has proposed a dedicated two-lane left-turn flyover with paved shoulders for traffic travelling from Delhi towards Sohna Road. Similarly, a second-level three-lane right-turn flyover above the existing NH8 flyover has been proposed that will cater to traffic coming from Sohna to Delhi.The proposed redesign seeks to streamline traffic movement at Rajiv Chowk, where vehicles travelling between NH8, Sohna Road, Civil Lines and Subhash Chowk frequently witness bottlenecks due to multiple at-grade traffic conflict points.This paves the way for preparation of the final detailed project report (DPR) for the long-planned interchange aimed at easing congestion at one of the city’s busiest intersections. Officials said the consultant has been directed to prepare the final DPR based on the approved alignment.“The alignment for the proposed interchange at Rajiv Chowk has been finalised. Now the agency has been asked to prepare the final DPR for the project. Once the DPR is finalised, we will proceed with the remaining approvals before taking up the project for execution,” an NHAI official said.At present, the junction has an eight-lane flyover along NH8 and a six-lane straight underpass on Sohna Road. However, vehicles travelling on the Sohna Road service road towards Civil Lines and those moving from Civil Lines towards Subhash Chowk cannot use the straight underpass, forcing them to merge with surface traffic.Although a right-turn underpass exists for traffic travelling from Medanta Medicity towards Delhi, Delhi-bound vehicles approaching from Sohna Road continue to negotiate multiple conflict points at the intersection.According to the preliminary plan, the structure will originate adjacent to the retaining wall of the existing NH8 flyover and terminate near the retaining wall of Sohna Road pedestrian underpass.It has been designed to allow motorists to either continue towards Badshapur elevated corridor or exit onto the service road, while maintaining a 5.5-metre vertical clearance for traffic passing underneath.Similarly, for the second structure that will cater to traffic coming from the Sohna side, NHAI has proposed a three-span arrangement having two 40-metre spans and a 60-metre span to cross the existing flyover, instead of a single span.This means the proposed flyover will not be built as one continuous bridge. Instead, it will be constructed in three connected sections, making it easier to construct over the existing NH8 flyover. The proposed structure will be 1.8 km long.According to the proposal, the redesign will reduce the number of traffic conflict points for Delhi-bound vehicles from six to two, improving traffic flow through Rajiv Chowk.The project, however, poses several engineering and land hurdle challenges. The 60-metre precast girder will have to be erected above the existing flyover, creating a double-height structure that will be costlier to construct.Earlier, TOI had reported that around 3 hectares of land will be required from various govt agencies and departments for the project. Of this, the largest share of around 0.89 hectares belongs to BSNL and around 0.83 hectares belongs to Tau Devi Lal Stadium.
