(This story originally appeared in on Dec 27, 2015)

NEW DELHI: The government is exploring possibilities of building about half a dozen roads that can provide direct connectivity between the Eastern and Western Peripheral Expressways (EPE & WPE) through the city. Certain sections of such links aimed at decongesting Delhi roads, would be elevated since these would pass through populated areas.Work on the both the expressways, which will work as an outer ring road for Delhi, has already started. Sources said while the two expressways will help divert the long-haul inter-state heavy vehicles from Delhi roads, there is a need to create network for quick and seamless exit of local traffic to take the expressways. "These roads shall have limited entry and exit points so that internal traffic can go out of city roads quickly. Though this is a long-term plan, we need to prepare the proposals so that a decision can be taken early and work can start by the time both expressway get completed," said a Central government official.Highways minister Nitin Gadkari on Thursday said he has received such a suggestive plan to build eight elevated corridors linking the two expressways to improve traffic situation in Delhi, which has become the most polluted city.Officials said the proposals would need huge government investment and greater coordination between the Centre and Delhi governments. "Since these roads shall pass through Delhi, Central government cannot directly undertake works until the stretches are notified as national highways. Delhi government and DDA shall have to come forward to get necessary land for building these roads so that financial burden can be shared," a government source said.Another senior Delhi government official also told TOI that they are also planning to build similar roads to evacuate city traffic quickly and these would be a mix of elevated, at-grid and underground corridors.Meanwhile, National Highways Authority of India ( NHAI ) is also working on proposals to decongested Delhi-Gurgaon stretch of NH-8. These include building new links from the expressway connecting to different parts of Delhi or city's major arterial roads.About three weeks back, Gadkari was caught in a major traffic jam near Rajokari flyover on NH-8 and he had asked NHAI to find quick solution to this daily mayhem that lakhs of commuters face.