Will the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway ever solve its congestion?

After a short dream run, is the daily nightmare of traffic congestion on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway set to return to haunt commuters? On Tuesday (25 September), the Punjab and Haryana High Court is likely to decide whether to lift the ban on collecting toll from private vehicles on the Delhi-Gugraon expressway, which is described as one of the most important and highest density corridors between the national capital region and Gurgaon. After the expressway operator Delhi Gurgaon Super Connectivity Limited (DGSCL) had failed to take measures to prevent traffic congestion originating at toll plazas– aggravated by an inefficient system of collecting toll - the High Court on 4 September had ordered a 15-day ban (that was extended last week) on DGSCL from collecting toll. (Last week, the High Court court allowed collection of toll from commercial vehicles on designated lanes.) [caption id=“attachment_466681” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Among measures being considered are revised fare schemes that offer more concessions on monthly passes and introducing a touch card. Reuters[/caption] Explaining the reasons for traffic congestion on the expressway, DGSCL spokesperson said, “There have been several factors that have led to congestion on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway including the significant increase of traffic volume on the stretch, lack of driving discipline enforcement like preventing the entry of cash users in designated tag lanes and traffic flow patterns like U-turns that lead to bottlenecks.” Asked what DGSCL’s response had been in problem of congestion, the spokesperson said: “Since 2009, we have submitted several plans to the NHAI (National Highway Authority of India) for the expansion of the toll plaza as well as other initiatives to curb congestion. Recently, we sat down with the NHAI and the local administration to jointly work out a decongestion plan that has been submitted to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The High Court had thereafter directed us to set up the short-term initiatives for decongestion so that it could send its representative to assess these. “We have apprised the High Court representatives who visited the toll plaza yesterday (September 23) of the various short-term initiatives that are being considered for the decongestion of the KM 24 toll plaza. These include 2X7 split tolling configuration on the Gurgaon to Delhi side, 2X6 split tolling configuration on the Delhi to Gurgaon side and the temporary eight lane tolling configuration on the Udyog Vihar Road. We await the High Court’s feedback in the next hearing, which is slated for Tuesday.” On Sunday (23 September), as per the High Court’s directive, a team of officials from the Haryana Urban Development Authority and the NHAI led by former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Mukul Mudgal had the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway to assess the measures taken by DGSCL. Among measures being considered are revised fare schemes that offer more concessions on monthly passes and introducing a touch card (like the one introduced by the Delhi Metro) at a nominal price. To reduce congestion at toll plazas, 11 additional lanes are to be provided at the KM 24 toll plaza (located on the Delhi-Gurgaon border on NH-8 with 32 lanes) and an additional four lanes at KM 42 toll plaza (located near Haldiram on NH-8 with 18 Lanes) are planned in a phased manner. Handheld devices are to be introduced for faster clearance. Others measures being considered include, modifications at entry and exit locations on the project highway for smooth flow of traffic and installation of CCTV cameras on the project highway for better traffic management, surveillance and safety. But given the projections of increase in traffic volume, will these measures be sufficient to tackle the problem of congestion? Speaking to the Times of India, an NHAI official said: “So far, no complementary road project within Delhi or in the region has become a reality. If this continues, the highway will get choked. The project was planned with assumptions that more alternate roads would be built in Delhi and Gurgaon.” (Read full report here) The report quotes a 2011 NHAI study that projected the traffic flow at the at the toll plaza to touch 3.97 lakh passenger car units (PCU) every day by 2023, which is almost double the present traffic volume at the toll plaza.