New Delhi: Public Works Department is planning to construct a foot overbridge (FOB) at Monastery Market in Budh Vihar on Ring Road, close to ISBT Kashmere Gate, to make crossing one of north Delhi’s busy stretches safer for pedestrians.The area turns into a weekend hotspot, packed with cafe-hoppers, tourists and locals heading to monasteries and eateries. With crowds spilling onto the carriageway and people darting across the fast-moving Ring Road traffic, the stretch often turns chaotic — and risky. The FOB is expected to offer pedestrians an elevated crossing while helping to smooth traffic flow.“The project, estimated at Rs 3 crore, includes Rs 2.2 crore for civil work and Rs 79 lakh for electrical installations. While it may sound like just another infrastructure upgrade, the scope reveals something more layered — a mix of new construction, safety audits and structural strengthening to ensure the bridge stands the test of time and traffic,” said an official. Before the construction progresses fully, contractors will carry out a detailed structural audit of the FOB’s foundation following Central Public Works Department’s guidelines and Indian Standard Codes, he added. They include on-site inspections, measurements, GPS-tagged photographs and an assessment of foundation stability. Engineers will also conduct root-cause analyses of any shortcomings and submit recommendations for repairs, strengthening or retrofitting, if needed.The project, though, isn’t only about concrete and steel. The FOB will feature watertight structural glazing and insulated double-glazed vision glass panels, designed to balance visibility with heat control, a crucial feature in the city’s extreme summers. Temporary barricading will be installed during construction to ensure public safety while finished walkways will use high-strength concrete paver blocks for durability.It will also include polycarbonate roofing and passenger lifts to improve accessibility for the elderly and people with disabilities. Daily cleaning and operational checks of lifts are built into the contract along with energy-efficient LED lighting for better visibility at night.In a city where pedestrians often come last, this FOB could quietly transform how people move around Kashmere Gate: not faster, but safer.
