Lutyens’ Delhi: 78 rds to receive facelift under NDMC’s road maintenance drive

NEW DELHI: The New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) has initiated an extensive road improvement project aimed at upgrading 78 of the 110 avenue roads in Lutyens’ Delhi. Key roads such as Gole Market to Panchkuian Road, Baba Khadak Singh Marg, Sansad Marg, and Tansen Marg are among those to be revamped. As part of the plan, all these roads will undergo new bitumen carpeting. The decision follows an interim report by the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), which identified defects in the roads and roundabouts. The remaining 32 roads will be surveyed by CRRI before any further decisions are made.

According to Sunil Jain, chief scientist at CRRI, the report highlighted issues such as roughness and road health, based on the Pavement Condition Index. The report recommends road rehabilitation and surface treatments in line with the guidelines set by the Indian Road Congress. Additionally, CRRI stressed the importance of milling, or removing the top asphalt layer, to prevent raising road levels and causing waterlogging in surrounding areas.

To address these concerns, CRRI proposed reducing the road thickness to 150-160 mm and adding a 40 mm layer of bitumen concrete. Roads in the Connaught Place division, including Connaught Place Outer Circle, Janpath, KG Marg, Sansad Marg, Panchkuian Road, and Baba Khadak Singh Marg, were also part of the survey.