The National Highways Authority of India will construct slip roads at Rajiv Chowk on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway to expand road capacity and ease congestion at the busy junction, using the space freed by closing four underground lanes that were intended for non-motorised traffic and pedestrians. Officials indicated the work is likely to begin next month and that the project aims to reconfigure traffic movements to reduce delays for intercity and local vehicles.

The project director at the authority indicated that the underground non-motorised traffic lanes will be closed within two months and that the hollow paths will be filled before the construction of slip roads. He noted that the authority will construct the slip roads within the space released by closure, expecting the additional lanes to ease weaving and merging movements at grade. Officials presented the decision as technical and operational rather than a policy reversal on provision for pedestrians.

A senior official said the decision followed detailed discussions with local authorities and planners who reviewed usage patterns of the underpasses. The four underpasses were created during the redevelopment of Rajiv Chowk alongside a vehicle underpass to allow pedestrians, cyclists and rickshaws to cross the junction in multiple directions. NHAI officers reported that the non-motorised lanes had seen limited use and had been repeatedly encroached upon, with occupants and informal settlement raising maintenance and safety concerns, while recurrent waterlogging further undermined their utility.

Officials added that the alignment for two more underpasses at Rajiv Chowk has been finalised and that a detailed project report is in preparation to guide engineering and funding decisions. The authority also plans two flyovers above the existing National Highway 48 (NH-48) flyover to handle Delhi-Sohna and Sohna-Delhi traffic, which it expects will distribute flows more evenly across the junction. Rajiv Chowk serves Delhi-Jaipur as well as local city traffic, and the authority framed the interventions as measures to improve throughput and reduce persistent congestion.