New Delhi – In a bid to tackle the capital’s chronic traffic snarls, the Delhi government has unveiled a comprehensive master plan for a third Ring Road that will run alongside the existing Inner and Outer Ring Roads. The scheme envisions a 55‑kilometre elevated corridor, with ₹10 crore already earmarked in the 2026‑27 budget for a feasibility study.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has completed the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the proposed elevated Ring Road. Execution will be split into six distinct phases, each designed to deliver faster, uninterrupted flow between Delhi’s northern and southern districts.

Phase‑wise rollout
The inaugural phase will cover the stretch from Mukarba Chowk to Ashram. Subsequent priority sections include a 9.5‑km segment from Azadpur Flyover to ISBT Hanuman Mandir, a 2.5‑km link between Chandgi Ram Akhara and Majnu Ka Tila, and an 11.5‑km corridor from ISBT to the DND Flyover.

Working closely with traffic police, the PWD has identified ten critical congestion hotspots across the city—key arteries such as Ring Road, Mathura Road, Aurobindo Marg, Mehrauli‑Mahipalpur Road, and Rani Jhansi Road. Officials stress that simply adding flyovers will not resolve the issue; with over 250,000 vehicles crowding the Ring Road during peak hours, a parallel route is increasingly essential.

Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced a budget of ₹5,921 crore for the PWD on March 24, 2026, marking a 54 percent rise from the previous year’s ₹3,843 crore allocation. The Transport Department will receive a further ₹8,374 crore for related initiatives.

Project Highlights

  • Total length: 55 km
  • Alignment: Mukarba Chowk → Ashram via DND
  • Estimated cost: ~₹7,000 crore
  • DPR consultant: AECOM India
  • Construction framework: Six phases
  • Projected benefit: North‑to‑South travel time reduced to roughly 30 minutes

Despite its promise, the venture faces notable hurdles. Land acquisition and tree removal are expected to take about two years, and relocating utilities beneath the elevated deck could pose significant engineering challenges. Currently, only ₹10 crore has been set aside for the feasibility analysis.

This is not the first attempt to introduce a parallel Ring Road; proposals have surfaced three times in the past decade but never materialised. The freshly approved master plan, however, is poised to deliver the long‑awaited relief for Delhi’s gridlocked streets.