The Delhi Government has begun work on a Rs 56 crore underpass at Loni Golchakkar, a heavily congested junction connecting Delhi with Uttar Pradesh, with the Public Works Department expected to complete the project in about 18 months. The foundation stone was laid online by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday, according to a report by Jagran – New Delhi.
Loni Golchakkar is located on Loni Road, one of the key routes linking east Delhi with neighbouring Uttar Pradesh. The junction handles traffic approaching from four directions, a pattern that has made it a persistent congestion point for commuters, local residents and commercial vehicles.
The Jagran report said approximately 1.5 lakh vehicles pass through the junction in a day. The underpass is intended to separate through traffic from movements at the roundabout and reduce delays on the Delhi-Uttar Pradesh route. The report did not provide the underpass length, lane configuration, traffic diversion plan or details of the agencies responsible for managing construction-stage movement.
The foundation-laying event was held online, while a separate programme took place at Loni Golchakkar. Delhi Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohan Singh Bisht, District Development Committee chairman Jitendra Mahajan and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Anil Gupta were among those present, the report said. Councillors Mukesh Bansal and Reena Maheshwari, along with former councillor Pravesh Sharma, also attended the local event.
Bisht said the Delhi Government was taking decisions connected to public needs and that motorists had faced congestion at the junction for years. Mahajan said traffic delays resulted in lost time and fuel expenses, and that he had raised the issue several times in the Delhi Assembly. Their comments were reported as part of the foundation-laying event and were not accompanied in the supplied report by independent traffic or cost data.
The project has also been presented as an intervention linked to vehicular pollution. Dr Anil Goyal, a BJP leader and member of the Delhi Pollution Control Committee, said reducing the time vehicles spend stationary in traffic could support efforts to address pollution. The report, however, did not quantify the expected reduction in emissions or provide an environmental assessment for the project.
The junction’s location makes the project relevant beyond a single neighbourhood. Loni Road serves daily travel between east Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, meaning construction activity could affect cross-border commuting while the underpass is being built. The supplied report does not specify whether phased closures, temporary diversions or pedestrian-safety arrangements have been finalised.
The next stated milestone is construction by the Public Works Department, with completion targeted in approximately one and a half years. Further details on the design, construction schedule, traffic management plan and operational opening date were not provided in the report.
