NHAI officials said major water, sewer and stormwater pipelines running along the route would need to be shifted before construction of the elevated road could begin. The authority had floated two tenders for overlaying and repairing the road, but received no bids. It has now decided to execute the work internally through its existing contractor.
NHAI will not shift the utilities because it is no longer executing the elevated road project, officials said. The authority had earlier prepared a detailed project report estimating the civil construction cost at Rs. 1.81 bn, but the state government did not approve the proposal and directed the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) to take it up instead.
The plan to upgrade the route has been under discussion for nearly five years and has undergone several revisions. The original proposal involved widening the road and building a flyover at Umang Bhardwaj Chowk. It was later expanded to include flyovers at Mohammadpur, Sector 37 and Umang Bhardwaj Chowk before being changed to an elevated road project.
GMDA is examining the proposal and plans to appoint a consultant to prepare a fresh detailed project report. The authority has indicated that the agency ultimately building the elevated road will be responsible for shifting the utilities. Meanwhile, Gurugram Metro Rail (GMRL), which is constructing a metro corridor along the stretch, has warned that delays in utility shifting could affect metro construction by several months. GMRL has asked civic authorities to expedite the work to avoid disruption to the metro project.