Wider lanes at Subhash Chowk in Gurgaon to unclog Mumbai eway bottleneck

Gurgaon: To ease persistent traffic congestion near Subhash Chowk at the entry point of the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, authorities are planning key infrastructure changes. The distance between the entry and exit points will be increased to reduce bottlenecks, and the service road along the carriageway will be widened from two lanes to three. Officials said nearly 20,000 vehicles use this stretch daily, making the upgrades essential for smoother flow.

Sohna Road — one of Cyber City’s major arterial and busiest stretches — faces frequent bottlenecks. National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) have prepared a plan to decongest the corridor, aiming to reduce travel time for commuters and cut down pollution.

Currently, the service lanes on both sides of the underpass are narrow, causing traffic to halt due to illegal parking and abrupt turns by vehicles. Footpaths and an improved drainage system to prevent waterlogging are also part of the revamp.

Commuters, particularly during peak hours, often get stuck near Subhash Chowk. “It takes more than 15-20 minutes to cross the small stretch onto Sohna Road,” Vikash Malhotra, a resident of Sector 48, said.

A blueprint has been prepared to redesign the entry-exit points at the Subhash Chowk underpass to eliminate congestion. This is expected to bring major relief to thousands of motorists who use the corridor and residents of the housing societies along Sohna Road.

Commuters say the situation turns worse during peak hours near the underpass. “Motorists get stuck in traffic jams daily between 8.30am and 11.30am and 5:30pm and 8:30pm. People travelling from Delhi to Jaipur and from old Gurgaon towards Sohna or Badshahpur get caught in jams stretching several kilometres every day,” said Pradeep Yadav, a resident of Sector 49.

Due to the congestion, every vehicle spends an additional 20 to 35 minutes on the stretch, leading to the wastage of thousands of litres of fuel daily and contributing significantly to the city’s pollution levels. To address these issues permanently, NHAI will launch a detailed technical survey in the coming days.

The biggest cause of the jam at Subhash Chowk, officials said, is vehicles getting entangled immediately after the underpass. “The distance between entry and exit points will be increased to eliminate the jam at Subhash Chowk underpass. In addition, the service road will also be widened. A plan has been prepared for this,” NHAI’s project officer Yogesh Tilak said.