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Controversial flyovers in Delhi

Take a megalopolis bursting with people, add to it a sudden boom in car ownership, and you have the sort of dilemma facing many city planners and engineers in the developing world these days. Delhi, however, has found a quick-fix of sorts: the flyover. Flyovers are block-length ramps without traffic signals that allow traffic to zip up, across, and over busy intersections. Twenty new flyovers have been built in the last five years and another 16 are under construction.

If the white archways and columns of Delhi`s Connaught Place symbolize the commercial aspirations of the British, the flyover marks the rise of the engineers who are rapidly modernizing this ancient city. The new structures have turned the city streets into complex whorls and loops that obscure buildings and landmarks on either side. They`ve also improved traffic noticeably.

But experts warn that flyovers are short-sighted solutions that make the city`s roads more dangerous, particularly for pedestrians. And gains made by constructing new flyovers - at a cost of approximately $4.3 to $5.8 million each - will diminish as car ownership rises.