Delhi's busiest road may see changes, commuters from Noida and Ghaziabad will face lesser traffic; govt is finding new ways to reduce delays

Sarai Kale Khan sits on Ring Road and is one of Delhi's busiest transit points. Commuters from ITO heading toward Ashram, and those coming in from Noida and Ghaziabad heading to South Delhi, all merge here at the same time.Metro, rail, and ISBT all meet at this one location, making it a major congestion point that already features in traffic studies for the Ring Road stretch.

The problem today is already bad. But officials say it will get significantly worse in the coming years as more infrastructure gets built around the area."The traffic load is likely to increase on the Sarai Kale Khan stretch, as there is a merger of metro, rail and ISBT, all at one point," a PWD official told reporters. A feasibility study is now being considered to identify congestion points and traffic load in the area.

A high-level committee meeting was called where Delhi Traffic Police flagged the Sarai Kale Khan situation. After that, PWD started looking at options.The department may hire an expert agency to run a dedicated feasibility study, just for this stretch, to figure out what kind of infrastructure fix is actually needed here. A final decision is still pending.

Sarai Kale Khan is not the only area under the scanner. PWD has already planned a full traffic simulation study covering the entire South Delhi road network.The study will look at existing congestion points, traffic load, land acquisition requirements, and drainage needs across the broader area, giving planners a clearer picture of where the real pressure points are.

This is not a new concern. The recently approved Master Plan of Delhi 2047 specifically recognises Sarai Kale Khan as a problem zone and has called for it to be developed as a proper multi-modal transport hub.The plan suggests skywalks, subways, and pedestrian bridges to help people move between modes of transport more safely and quickly without adding to road congestion.

In 2023, PWD built a second three-lane flyover at the Sarai Kale Khan T-junction to ease traffic between ITO and Ashram. The 643-metre flyover was meant to create a signal-free corridor on Ring Road and reduce fuel consumption and travel time for commuters. But given how traffic has continued to grow, officials believe more targeted intervention is now needed.

No final plan has been announced yet. But a bigger picture is emerging. PWD has also started a feasibility study for a 55-km elevated road over the entire Ring Road, covering key points like Sarai Kale Khan, Ashram, AIIMS, Punjabi Bagh, and Lajpat Nagar, which could eventually give commuters from NCR cities a much faster route through Delhi.(Inputs from Agencies; images are used for representation purposes only)