GMDA Begins Fresh Assessment of Southern Peripheral Road Elevated Corridor Project.

Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has restarted planning for the long-pending redevelopment of the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) elevated corridor, nearly seven years after the project was first conceptualised.

The 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, a crucial 6-km stretch of the larger 12-km SPR project aimed at creating a signal-free arterial route connecting Ghata Chowk with NH-8.

The move comes as another section of the corridor — the Vatika Chowk to NH-8 stretch — awaits fresh bidding after a ₹755-crore construction tender was withdrawn earlier this month.

The proposed 12-km elevated corridor is expected to integrate with a planned interchange at Vatika Chowk, featuring an elevated structure over the Gurugram-Sohna Highway and an underpass along SPR to ensure uninterrupted traffic movement.

The consultant appointed by GMDA will undertake detailed surveys, traffic assessments, geotechnical investigations and structural studies before preparing the DPR and tender documents. The scope of work will include alignment planning, utility mapping, pavement analysis, structural design, traffic simulations and identification of service relocation requirements.

A GMDA official said the DPR is expected to be prepared within three months after the consultant is appointed. Following necessary approvals, a construction tender will be issued. The elevated corridor is being planned on the lines of the Dwarka Expressway, with additional focus on service roads, drainage systems and pedestrian infrastructure.

The SPR redevelopment has been planned as a major east-west connectivity corridor in Gurugram, linking rapidly developing residential and commercial areas in the southern sectors with key routes including NH-8, Sohna Road, Dwarka Expressway, Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and Gurugram-Faridabad Road.

However, the project has undergone multiple revisions over the years. In 2019, GMDA proposed two options for upgrading the SPR and selected a signal-free design involving three flyovers and two underpasses at an estimated cost of ₹281.9 crore. Subsequent revisions to include additional flyovers, cycle tracks, green spaces and provisions for future metro connectivity delayed progress.

By 2022, the project cost had increased to ₹845.5 crore, with plans for eight flyovers, a six-lane main carriageway and three-lane service roads.

In 2023, traffic studies led to changes in the plan for the Vatika Chowk-NH-8 section. In July 2024, GMDA received approval for an elevated corridor between Vatika Chowk and NH-8 at a revised cost of around ₹750 crore, while retaining plans for improvements between Ghata Chowk and Vatika Chowk.

The project underwent further evaluation after suggestions to incorporate underpasses and ensure compatibility with future infrastructure projects, including metro corridors. In November last year, the government approved an elevated corridor-based approach for the entire SPR stretch between Ghata Chowk and NH-8.

Despite approvals, construction has yet to begin. A ₹755-crore tender floated in March for the Vatika Chowk-NH-8 section was withdrawn in June after the bidding deadline was extended twice, with officials citing administrative reasons.

Residents have expressed frustration over repeated delays, pointing to worsening congestion on the corridor as traffic volumes continue to rise following the opening of the Dwarka Expressway and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.

Residents said that prolonged planning and frequent revisions have failed to bring relief on the ground, with peak-hour congestion continuing to affect commuters across the SPR corridor.