By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 3 Jun: Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand and its largest city, continues to grapple with increasing traffic congestion. Traffic congestion has emerged as one of the biggest urban challenges in Dehradun, particularly over the last decade. In order to ease traffic woes in one of the busiest stretches of road, Uttarakhand PWD has proposed the construction of a four-lane elevated road between Rispana and Araghar. The project is estimated to cost Rs 183.97 crores and is ostensibly aimed at easing chronic traffic jams, reducing travel time and improving connectivity in the rapidly expanding state capital.
The proposed elevated corridor is planned to be constructed from Rispana Bridge near the Chanchal Dairy area to Araghar Chowk via Dharampur Chowk. The entire stretch forms part of State Highway-85 and serves as a crucial link connecting Rajpur Road, Saharanpur Road, ISBT, Haridwar Road and the routes leading towards Mussoorie. The corridor has witnessed a sharp increase in vehicular movement over the past decade due to rapid urbanisation, expansion of residential colonies and increasing tourist traffic.
It may be reminded here that the roads from ISBT till Rispana Bridge and further north till Araghar have become among the busiest roads in the city, particularly due to rapid urbanisation in areas like Ajabpur, Banjarawala, Mothrowala and Kedarpur, where not too long ago, agriculture thrived. It may also be reminded that Dehradun continues to have one of the highest per capita numbers of vehicles in the country and in the absence of any effective public transport system, people prefer to commute in their personal vehicles.
At present, the Rispana-Dharampur-Araghar stretch is among the most congested road corridors in Dehradun. Long traffic snarls have become a daily occurrence, particularly during morning and evening peak hours. Commuters frequently face delays at Dharampur and Araghar junctions, while traffic pressure intensifies further during weekends, holidays and the tourist season. The situation is expected to become even more challenging with the completion of major connectivity projects, including the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway, which is likely to bring additional traffic into the city. Mata Mandir Road in Ajabpur Khurd and Mothrowala Road in Ajabpur Kala have become among the busiest road links connecting the city to the most rapidly developing areas of Kedarpur, Mothrowala, Ajabpur and Banjarawala.
According to the traffic assessment conducted by the department, approximately 62,733 Passenger Car Units (PCUs) use this corridor every day. During peak hours, Araghar Chowk alone records traffic pressure of nearly 4,125 PCUs, significantly exceeding the designed capacity of the existing road infrastructure. Officials believe that without major intervention, traffic conditions on the corridor are likely to deteriorate further in the coming years.
The proposed project seeks to provide a long-term solution by creating a signal-free elevated corridor over the existing road network. Vehicles using the elevated road will be able to bypass busy intersections, thereby reducing congestion at ground level and ensuring smoother traffic movement. Once completed, motorists travelling between Rispana, Dharampur and Araghar are expected to experience substantially reduced travel times.
The project encompasses much more than the construction of an elevated flyover. It includes the development of a four-lane elevated carriageway, service roads, retaining walls, drainage infrastructure, traffic safety systems, utility shifting works and quality control mechanisms. Various public utilities, including electricity, water supply and communication lines, will be relocated wherever necessary. The proposal also includes provisions for land acquisition and compensation to affected landowners in accordance with applicable norms.
Officials say one of the major benefits of the project will be the reduction of frequent stops at traffic signals and intersections. With smoother traffic flow, fuel consumption is expected to decline, while vehicle emissions and carbon pollution are also likely to reduce. Road safety is expected to improve as the number of conflict points and traffic crossings decreases.
The project comes at a time when Dehradun is witnessing a major transformation in its urban transport infrastructure. Alongside the Rispana-Araghar elevated road, the state government has also been pursuing the already approved and the much larger Rispana-Bindal Elevated Corridor project, which envisages the construction of elevated roads along the Rispana and Bindal river corridors to improve east-west and north-south connectivity across the city. The proposed Rispana-Bindal project, estimated at around Rs 6,200 crores and spanning approximately 26 kilometres, has already completed feasibility and hydrological studies and remains one of the most ambitious urban mobility projects planned for Dehradun. Land acquisition and related processes are also under way for the larger corridor project.
The state government has argued that these elevated road projects are necessary in view of the rapid increase in Dehradun’s population, growing vehicle ownership, rising tourist inflow and the anticipated impact of the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway. The officials believe that an integrated network of elevated corridors, ring roads and bypasses is likely to help address the city’s long-term mobility requirements.
Officials at PWD share that the traffic survey, feasibility study and preliminary design work for the Rispana-Araghar elevated road have already been completed. The project cost has been assessed and the land requirement along with potential acquisition zones has been identified. They claim that the department has also examined possible overlaps with the proposed metro and mass transit projects so that future technical conflicts can be avoided. According to them, the next phase will focus on detailed engineering design, land acquisition and implementation of the construction process.
Once completed, the four-lane elevated road is expected to significantly improve mobility on one of Dehradun’s most heavily used transport corridors and provide much-needed relief to thousands of commuters who currently spend considerable time navigating daily traffic congestion between Rispana, Dharampur and Araghar.
