Golf Course Road's ongoing makeover into a 16-lane expressway will now stretch till sectors 55-56, incorporating an extra 1.3-km stretch that will take it all the way to the Southern Peripheral Road (SPR).

Under the modified project plan, the road between AIT Chowk and Golf Course Road's junction with SPR will be upgraded and widened. This stretch is important because Rapid Metro will soon begin its Phase 2 operations and its terminal station is also in sector 55-56, which will make the area a crucial connectivity point.

Huda administrator Yashpal Yadav told TOI on Thursday the stretch was left out during the planning of the 16-lane expressway project. "But now we want to extend the expressway till sectors 55-56. The extension of the expressway will ensure smooth flow of traffic and avoid jams," he said.

The development came in the wake of the visit of additional chief secretary of department of town and country planning (DTCP), SS Prasad, to Golf Course Road last Sunday, following which he had directed Huda to extend the 16-lane expressway up to SPR. "Following his direction, Huda has started working on the extension of this road. The portion of the road will be constructed along with the ongoing work on the 16-lane expressway," said a senior Huda official.

The official said that the completion of 16-lane expressway, without the extension, would have created a traffic nightmare for residents of the area, who would have been caught between the high-speed corridor and the eight-lane SPR. "A narrow lane between two major roads would have been a major traffic bottleneck," he said.

Welcoming the development, MCG councillor of ward 32 Mahesh Dayma said, "Upgradation of this stretch is very crucial for resolving problems of traffic jams and waterlogging." He had raised the issue with Huda officials and even filed a complaint at CM window.

Residents are also happy. Pravesh Mishra of Sector 55 said, "Upgrade of this stretch will ensure that it will not become another major traffic jam spot of Gurgaon and people of the locality will leave peacefully."

The 16-lane expressway has eight underpasses and a flyover and is expected to significantly reduce travel time from Sector 56 to Sirhaul toll plaza from the current 30 minutes.