UER-II: Delhi's new lifeline

Delhi’s brand-new third Ring Road is here, the 75-km Urban Extension Road-II is being hailed as a game-changer for the capital’s traffic.

Transcript

00:00How is Delhi's brand new third ring road transforming India's urban map?

00:04India today tested the newly inaugurated UER2 or the Urban Extension Road and here's what we found.

00:10This isn't just another highway.

00:12A drive from Singhu border to IJIA airport, once a long grind through bottlenecks,

00:16now takes just 40 minutes on the smooth new stretch passing via the Dwarka Expressway.

00:21The UER2 along with Delhi's section of the Dwarka Expressway has been built at a combined cost of Rs. 11,000 crore

00:28and the UER2 itself is being hailed as Delhi's third ring road after the inner ring road and the outer ring road.

00:34Stretching 75 kilometers, this expressway connects Dwarka in southwest Delhi to Bahadurgarh, Narela and Alipur in north Delhi

00:41and further links to Kundali in Haryana.

00:44When India today tested the UER2, the difference was very clear.

00:47Smoother rides, shorter travel time and freedom from the bottlenecks that choke Delhi's arterial roads every day.

00:54For commuters, the benefits are immediate.

00:56The UER2 is expected to decongest the Delhi-Gurgaon and Delhi-Jhaipur corridors,

01:00cutting travel time between Delhi and Gurgaon to just 20 minutes.

01:04Travel time between RTI airport and Noida has also been cut drastically from nearly 2 hours to again just 20 minutes.

01:12Heavy vehicles can bypass congested city roads, easing traffic on inner and outer ring roads

01:17and critical junctions like Mukarba Chauk, Tholankuwa and NH9.

01:21The road features six lanes, service lanes and multiple interchanges and advanced traffic management systems,

01:27making it a state-of-the-art corridor.

01:29Environmental safeguards have also been put in place,

01:32with plantations along the road and sound barriers near residential zones.

01:36Urban planners believe that the UER2 could play the same role for Delhi

01:39that the Yamuna Expressway played for Noida and Greater Noida,

01:43triggering massive real estate growth, new business hubs and better connectivity for the satellite towns.

01:48However, locals also point out some major challenges.

01:51Certain adjoining roads are yet to be widened,

01:54and traffic bottlenecks could shift to entry and exit points if proper planning is not followed.

01:59Environmentalists meanwhile warn that the expansion should not come at the cost of green belts and village commons.

02:05But with UER2, Delhi's traffic hose may finally find some relief.

02:09A road that doesn't just connect highways, but also redefines the way India builds its urban future.