MRTS corridor to be built on new sector roads

GURUGRAM : Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) has finalised the design for the construction of master roads in new sectors 68-80. Under the plan, an area of 10.5 metres will be reserved in between roads as dividers to ensure that a mass rapid transit system (MRTS) can be developed there in the future.
The development of the MRTS is likely to take time. Meanwhile, the plan is to use the road dividers as green spaces or cycle tracks or for landscaping. Huda chief administrator J Ganeshan has approved the design that was prepared by the engineering wing of the authority.

"The design was prepared in the view of future growth and development of these sectors," said chief engineer and Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav, who has been directed to develop the road as per the new design. He said that the population in the new sectors would increase in the coming years and then the divider area would be required to build the MRTS.

Learning a lesson from mistakes in the past, Huda has prepared a futuristic design this time. "The population in old sectors 1-58 has increased significantly but the sector roads there have no space or provision for MRTS. Developing MRTS in the old sectors will be a challenge as land acquisition has become so difficult," said Yadav, adding that the plan for the new sectors would take care of such problems.

The roads will be six-lane and an area of at least one metre along the roads will be reserved for drainage. A total of 8 metres along the roads will be reserved for power and other facilities. Besides, the roads will have 3 metres of non-motorable track, 4 metres of footpath, 1.5 metres of green space, 3 metres of parking area and area for utility services and 5.5 metres of service road on both sides.

Huda has made provision for 3 metres of non-motorable track on each side of the road as the road safety committee of Supreme Court has given directions to ensure that cycle tracks are included as part of all upcoming roads.

The roads of sectors 68-80, which will be developed along Southern Peripheral Road (SPR), will connect Golf Course Road and the road coming from the Faridabad side to Manesar. These sector roads will also be used as an alternative connectivity between Gurgaon and Manesar. "As of now, there is no plan for MRTS in these sectors, but the master plan has mentioned the Metro on SPR which can come up on this road in future," said a Huda official.