Three foot overbridges will be built along the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, or NH-709B, in east Delhi to provide safer crossings for pedestrians, with two of the structures planned to include lifts. The projects have a combined estimated cost of Rs 12.8 crore.
Delhi BJP president and Union Minister of State Harsh Malhotra laid the foundation stones for two of the foot overbridges on Wednesday. They will come up near Geeta Colony and Gandhi Nagar, and at Ramesh Park in Laxmi Nagar. The third foot overbridge has been approved near Bhajanpura-Garhi Mendu.
According to the report, the Geeta Colony-Gandhi Nagar and Ramesh Park structures will have lift facilities. This is intended to make the crossings more accessible to pedestrians who may find stair-only facilities difficult to use. The locations sit along or near a major elevated road corridor where fast-moving traffic can make surface-level pedestrian crossings unsafe.
The third foot overbridge will be constructed close to Bhajanpura-Garhi Mendu at approximately kilometre 10+800 of NH-709B. Together, the three projects are expected to expand dedicated pedestrian crossing facilities across different sections of the expressway in east Delhi.
Malhotra said the foot overbridges would benefit local residents as well as people travelling to Gandhi Nagar. The announcement places pedestrian movement alongside the wider development of the expressway, where the design of elevated infrastructure has created both new road capacity and spaces beneath the corridor that require separate management.
The report also said that parking has been started beneath the elevated section of the expressway. Plans are under way to use more of the space below the elevated corridor for parking, electric vehicle charging stations, toilets and other public facilities. These proposals are part of a planned beautification programme for the Delhi section of NH-709B.
The use of under-elevated spaces has become a practical issue for large urban road projects because the areas can otherwise remain fragmented, poorly managed or difficult for pedestrians to navigate. In this case, the proposed facilities are being presented as part of a broader effort to organise the space below the corridor while improving its public use. The available report does not specify the capacity, operating agency or completion timeline for the proposed parking and public amenities.
Solar panels are also being installed on the Delhi section of the elevated corridor. The electricity generated is intended for highway-related requirements, while the project has been described as a step towards reducing dependence on conventional energy sources and promoting renewable energy.
The immediate construction details available for the three foot overbridges are limited to their locations, lift provision for two structures and the combined estimated cost. Further implementation milestones, including construction schedules and opening dates, have not been specified in the report.
