GURUGRAM: Public Works Department (PWD) and Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) have proposed to redesign the Mahavir Chowk junction, which faces massive snarls and congestion almost throughout the day, in what is expected to bring major relief to thousands of commuters, motorists and pedestrians.The project will be executed in two parts — the first will cover three of roads meeting at Mahavir Chowk, 500m each of which will be widened. In case of the fourth road meeting at the junction, a 270m stretch leading to Agrasen Chowk, 100m of it will be covered in the first phase. The second phase will cover the rest of the road to Agrasen Chowk, all the way up to Jail road.The plan includes an underpass which will start on MG Road and end on Bus Stand road . Officials said this will ensure all traffic coming from the Delhi side towards the old city can take the underpass, reducing congestion at the junction. “As of now, movement of traffic and of pedestrians at Mahavir Chowk is chaotic. We hope once our plan is executed, it will cut down chaos substantially,” said Jitender Mittal, chief engineer, GMDA. He added while the project will be executed by PWD, GMDA will fund it.The total cost is pegged at Rs 56 crore. Tender for the first phase itself will cost around Rs 23.5 crore. Tenders for both phases have been floated and allotments are expected soon, after which it’s expected to take another year-and-a-half to complete.Besides traffic, the junction sees high pedestrian movement as it connects Sadar Bazar, the city’s the biggest commercial hub, with Gurgaon Bus Stand. Hence, a 230m skywalk has been proposed in the plan, which will have escalators on all four sides for the convenience of pedestrians, said Mittal.All roads approaching the junction will also be redesigned with a bituminous overlay, drainage system, horticulture, lighting, railings and other safety features.Most regular commuters said the project will bring relief. “This junction is congested nearly all day. Good to know the government is planning to decongest it. It would be so much easier to drive towards Sadar Bazar or Civil Hospital, when it’s complete,” said Shruti Miglani, who works with an MNC in CyberHub.Others though, expressed reservations, pointing out to the number of infrastructure projects in the city that suffer from poor engineering. “While the plan sounds good on paper, a lot depends on its engineering design. Recent projects, including the redesigning of Iffco Chowk and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, have only added to the mess instead of streamlining traffic,” said Hemant Kumar, who lives in Old Gurgaon.The project was first proposed at a GMDA meeting in April, and approved by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar in May. This is the second decongestion project GMDA has taken up since it was formed, following tenders it recently floated to improve Huda City Centre junction, a project that includes an underpass and two foot overbridges.

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