6 years on, revamp of NH8 link starts with utility shifting

Time of India

13-05-2025

Gurgaon: Work has finally begun on the long-pending revamp of the 2.2 km stretch between Hero Honda Chowk and
Umang Bhardwaj Chowk
. NHAI has started shifting utilities, including stormwater drains and high-tension cables, falling in the right of way.According to the NHAI, utility shifting will take at least six months, and only after that will the widening of the road and a flyover at Umang Bhardwaj Chowk begin.
Additionally, HSVP has transferred one acre of land for relocating a 66 kV substation, which is also expected to start soon. Approved in 2017, part of a broader plan to upgrade the 5.6 km stretch between Hero Honda Chowk and Dwarka Expressway, over the years, the revamp project faced repeated delays due to indecision on the design and modality, casting a shadow on the upgradation of this key stretch linking the Delhi-Gurgaon motorway to the Dwarka Expressway."We have started working on stormwater drainage and relocating the power utility. The work on the shifting of the water pipeline and sewage pipeline will soon be undertaken. Once the shifting of utilities is completed, we will start with the civil work of the upgradation plan," a senior official of NHAI said.GMDA already completed work on the 3 km stretch between Umang Bhardwaj Chowk and Dwarka Expressway. NHAI commissioned an underpass on the expressway last year in June. Initially, NHAI proposed to widen the 2.2 km road into six lanes with a flyover at Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, and the work for this was originally supposed to start in 2019. But later, it was decided that the project would be merged with the Gurgaon-Pataudi-Rewari Highway, pushing the start date to Nov 2021 and the deadline to Nov 2023. Later in 2022, MP and union minister Rao Inderjit Singh insisted on the construction of an elevated road between Hero Honda and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk, citing demand from RWAs and industrial associations.The work was further delayed as it could not be decided whether at-grade redevelopment works should be taken up, an elevated road along with a metro pillar should be constructed, or a double-decker with an elevated structure and metro on a single pier should be made.In Nov 2023, NHAI put the revamp on the back burner till a decision was made on its design and delinked the work from the contractor. However, it was later decided that NHAI would carry out the project. Last year, as Inderjit Singh pushed for the elevated road again, NHAI revised the plan to build a six-lane elevated corridor.Earlier this year, the plan to construct the elevated road was scrapped once again, and authorities decided to go back to the original plan to widen the 2.2 km stretch into six lanes along with a service road and a flyover at Umang Bhardwaj Chowk. Meanwhile, the residents said the development is long-awaited.