The Delhi Development Authority has invited tenders for the first phase of a 52-km cycling corridor along the Yamuna floodplains, moving forward with a 24-km stretch on the river’s western bank from the Old Railway Bridge to National Highway 24. The first phase is estimated to cost Rs 16.4 crore and is expected to take six to seven months to complete.
The project will include construction of the cycling track, solar panels, LED bollards, lighting, greenery, docking stations, parking areas, shaded rest points, viewing decks and wayfinding systems. DDA officials said the infrastructure would use permeable materials and be designed to blend with the floodplain landscape without disturbing its ecological character.
The corridor is planned as part of a wider 52-km cycling and walking route along both sides of the Yamuna. The Delhi Master Plan 2047, notified on August 20, proposes the route in three phases, extending from the Wazirabad Yamuna Bridge to NH-24 and further to Kalindi Kunj Biodiversity Park. The plan is intended to support green mobility and connect several parks and restored riverfront sites across the capital.
The first phase follows changes made after environmental concerns were raised about the original alignment. The project received clearance from the principal committee of the National Green Tribunal in April after the proposed route was modified, according to the report. The revised alignment moves the track away from vulnerable river edges and instead follows existing embankments and established pathways, officials said.
DDA officials said the completed corridor would provide a continuous recreational route while promoting non-motorised mobility and enabling regulated public access to the floodplains. The planned facilities are also intended to expand cycling and leisure opportunities along a stretch of the river that has historically seen limited formal public access.
The cycling corridor forms part of DDA’s larger programme to restore more than 1,700 hectares of Yamuna floodplains as biodiverse and publicly accessible spaces. The authority has undertaken 13 projects in the floodplain area. Asita, Baansera, Kalindi Biodiversity Park, Yamuna Vatika and Amrut Biodiversity Park have been completed, along with works at several ghats. Mayur Nature Park and an eco-tourism zone are among the projects under development.
DDA officials said the cycling track would connect these restored sites and support the authority’s broader effort to rejuvenate the river’s ecological landscape while allowing controlled public use. In November last year, chief minister Rekha Gupta chaired a review meeting on the proposed 52-km track and was informed that most departments had issued no-objection certificates and that inter-agency coordination had been established.
The next stage is the tendering and construction of the first 24-km section. The authority’s stated timeline is six to seven months after construction begins.
