Two Gurugram foot overbridges to make way for Metro corridor

Two foot overbridges in Gurugram, constructed only three years ago, will be dismantled to make way for the city’s upcoming Metro corridor, with authorities directing the Metro corporation to build replacement structures for pedestrians.

The two foot overbridges are located near Alpine Public School in Sector 9 and Greenwood Public School in Sector 10 near Basai Pond. They fall along the proposed Metro alignment between Umang Bhardwaj Chowk and Basai Flyover, where a Metro station is also planned, reported The Times of India.

The Gurgaon Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) has permitted Gurgaon Metro Rail Ltd (GMRL) to dismantle the structures because they obstruct the Metro corridor alignment.

The foot overbridges were constructed in 2023 as part of a wider Rs 114 crore road infrastructure project that included widening roads between Umang Bhardwaj Chowk and Dwarka Expressway, along with a flyover and a railway bridge over the Delhi-Rewari railway line.

The existing FOBs were intended to provide safe pedestrian crossings for people around Alpine Public School, Basai Pond and adjoining residential sectors.

GMDA has directed GMRL to construct two replacement foot overbridges at locations approved by the authority. GMRL will bear the cost of dismantling the existing structures as well as constructing and commissioning the replacement FOBs.

The Metro corporation will also be responsible for the storage and transportation of material from the dismantled structures.

The decision has raised concerns among residents of sectors 37C, 37D, 9, 9A and 10, who use the existing crossings.

The foot overbridges were built to help residents and students cross the busy road corridor, particularly around the schools and Basai Pond. Any gap between their removal and the commissioning of the replacement structures could therefore raise pedestrian safety concerns.

GMRL had written to GMDA in June seeking early dismantling of the two FOBs, stating that the structures were “infringing” the Metro corridor alignment.

The development is part of the larger 30-km Gurgaon Metro project, which will connect Millennium City Centre to Cyber Hub in a loop. The first phase will move towards Sector 9, with a separate spur planned towards Dwarka Expressway.