NDMC eyes overhaul of Lutyens' Delhi avenue roads post monsoon
The project, currently in its final tendering phase, will begin after the monsoon, tentatively in Oct 2025, and is expected to be completed by March 31, 2026, at an estimated cost of Rs 92 crore.
"We'll deploy the latest technology for the work. The tendering process is nearly complete," said NDMC vice-chairman Kuljeet Chahal. "CRRI has identified various issues, including cracks and surface deterioration, and assessed their severity and spread across the road network."
The survey, commissioned under an MoU signed last year, focused on roads where the bituminous layer has exceeded its typical five-year lifespan. CRRI's assessment included not only a visual inspection but also technical procedures such as roughness surveys and extraction of bituminous cores from selected stretches to study subsurface cracking.
Based on these findings, the final recommendations propose strengthening measures, including milling to remove worn asphalt layers and laying new overlays.
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The scope of the project includes a full assessment of existing pavement conditions, crack analysis, measurement of ride quality, calculation of pavement condition index and formulation of optimal milling and resurfacing strategies.
CRRI will also provide technical oversight during the execution phase to ensure quality control and long-term maintenance. According to senior NDMC officials, the 79 roads have been grouped into six divisions, with bitumen work planned in phases to cover all radial routes.
The objective is to ensure that roads remain in good condition for the next five years.
In the Connaught Place division, eight major roads were surveyed, including Outer Circle Road, Panchkuian Road (up to SBS), BKS Marg, Sansad Marg, Janpath, KG Marg and Inner Circle Road. The R-I division covered 18 roads, including Atul Grove Road, Dr Rajendra Prasad Road, Jai Singh Road, Janpath (between Connaught Place and Rajendra Prasad Road), Shrimant Madhav Rao Scindia Marg, Bhagwan Das Road, Sikandra Road, Safdar Hashmi Road and Copernicus Marg.
In the R-II division, 21 roads such as APJ Abdul Kalam Road, Max Muller Marg, Humayun Road, Archbishop Marg, Aurobindo Marg, Khanna Market Road and Lodhi Estate were included. R-IV division had 28 roads identified for upgrades, including Sardar Patel Marg, Dharma Marg (between Kautilya Marg and SP Marg) and S Radhakrishnan Marg. In the R-V division, four stretches like Pandit Pant Marg and Kali Bari Marg were selected for the survey.
CRRI chief scientist Sunil Jain emphasised the need for milling on all roads prior to overlay treatment. He noted that in specific areas like Golf Link Road, where adjacent zones experienced heavy waterlogging during the last monsoon, the agency recommended milling to a depth of 150–160 mm followed by a 40 mm bituminous concrete layer, effectively lowering the road level by 120 mm to enhance drainage and reduce flooding risk.
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