Yamuna floodplain cycleway
- DDA will start building a long cycling corridor along the Yamuna floodplains in Delhi this month. - The proposed route is planned as a 52–95 km cycling track to improve public access and protect ecology. - The project was announced as a major public‑space push by Delhi authorities this week (hindustantimes.com)
Delhi’s development authority is set to start building the first stretch of a long cycling corridor along the Yamuna floodplains within weeks, after environmental clearance. (hindustantimes.com) The Delhi Development Authority said Phase 1 will cover 24.15 kilometers between the Old Railway Bridge and National Highway 24, with construction expected to take about 12 months after the work order. The full corridor is planned in three phases over three years. (hindustantimes.com) Current plans describe a route of about 53 kilometers, with roughly 23 kilometers on the western bank and 30 kilometers on the eastern bank, running from Wazirabad toward NH-24 and onward to Kalindi Kunj Biodiversity Park. Earlier planning documents in 2025 had put the combined network at about 51 kilometers, which helps explain why published estimates vary. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (hindustantimes.com) The project moved only after the National Green Tribunal’s principal committee cleared a revised alignment. Officials said the original route raised concerns, and the new plan shifts the track away from vulnerable river edges onto existing embankments and established paths. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) That change is central to how Delhi is trying to open the floodplain without hard-building over it. The authority said the track will use permeable materials and avoid permanent construction inside sensitive floodplain areas. (hindustantimes.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) Delhi officials are pitching the corridor as part of a larger riverfront program, not just a transport project. DDA says it is tied to a plan to restore more than 1,700 hectares of Yamuna floodplain into biodiverse public spaces with regulated access. (hindustantimes.com) (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) The route is meant to stitch together sites Delhi has already opened or restored, including Asita, Baansera, Yamuna Vatika, Amrut Biodiversity Park and Kalindi Biodiversity Park. In 2025, officials said one problem with those parks was that they remained disconnected from one another. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com) (hindustantimes.com) The push also fits a broader April 2026 directive from Lieutenant Governor Taranjit Singh Sandhu and Chief Minister Rekha Gupta to develop the Yamuna floodplain from Palla to Kalindi Kunj as eco-friendly public space. That review linked riverfront access with flood control, desilting and pollution management before the monsoon. (thepatriot.in) The corridor will include docking stations, parking areas, shaded rest points, viewing decks and wayfinding signs, according to officials. If the schedule holds, Delhi’s first completed segment should open about a year after Phase 1 work is awarded. (timesofindia.indiatimes.com)
