The Public Works Department (PWD) has floated a tender worth Rs 7.2 million to carry out structural and hydrological audits on four major flyovers in South Delhi. The project includes the IIT Flyover at Africa Avenue, the old RTR Flyover, two spans of the Modi Mill Flyover on the Outer Ring Road, and the culvert over Barapullah Nallah on Lala Lajpat Rai Marg.

Additionally, the consultancy work involves widening and developing a 300-metre road near New Ashok Nagar metro station by constructing three new culverts. Tenders will be opened on 24 July, and the selected consultancy will have 540 days to complete the audits and design work, with actual repair work expected to begin by early 2026.

A PWD official noted that most of Delhi's flyovers are over 15 years old and show signs of ageing, including surface cracks and deteriorated expansion joints, necessitating a thorough structural assessment.

Earlier in May, PWD conducted a basic audit of 100 flyovers in the city, identifying issues such as missing crash barriers at the old RTR Flyover and damaged surfaces at Modi Mill. Urgent repairs were carried out, and a more detailed audit was planned to guide long-term rehabilitation.

The upcoming structural audits will employ advanced non-destructive and semi-destructive techniques such as rebound hammer tests, ultrasonic pulse velocity, carbonation depth measurement, load tests, and 3D reinforcement scanning via Ground Penetrating Radar (GPR).

Consultants will be responsible for preparing construction drawings, identifying areas requiring retrofitting, producing detailed estimates and tender documents, supervising execution, and issuing post-completion safety certificates.

The audit also covers road improvement near the New Ashok Nagar metro station, which sees high footfall and lies near stormwater drains. Planned upgrades include footpaths, road markings, crash barriers, and culverts to improve pedestrian and vehicle movement.

Experts from the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), including chief scientist S Velmurugan, recently conducted a field inspection and flagged critical issues on the Outer Ring Road, including lack of auxiliary lanes, improper signage, and inadequate road markings—contributing to congestion and accidents.

The audit aims to rectify such problems by improving gore areas, geometric design of loops and ramps, signage, and anti-glare treatments—especially on flyovers with narrow medians.