Archive · 16 Aug 2026
Delhi road repair costs surge 50% after West Asia war
A city called Delhi fixes its roads so people can drive safely.
A war far away, between the United States and Iran, made the price of bitumen go up.
Bitumen is the sticky, black material used to build roads.
Because it got more expensive, repairing the roads also costs more money now.
The roads being fixed cover about 162 kilometers, which is a very long distance.
The government department in charge of this is called the PWD.
Officials first wanted to finish the work by March 31, then moved the deadline to July 31.
Now they hope to finish the work before the end of the year.
The new plan costs about Rs 588 crore, which is almost 50% more than they first thought.
A special committee approved the extra money so the road work can continue.
Delhi's Public Works Department (PWD) aims to complete the strengthening and repair of 162 km of roads in the Capital before the year ends.
The US-Iran conflict in West Asia slowed the work after a surge in bitumen prices hit the supply chain.
The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) approved a revised project cost of Rs 587.95 crore, about Rs 194 crore (nearly 50%) higher than the original estimate of around Rs 394 crore.
East Maintenance Zone roads (58.292 km) were revised to Rs 215.23 crore from Rs 147.07 crore (46% rise), while North Maintenance Zone roads (104.42 km) were revised to Rs 372.72 crore from Rs 247.31 crore (51% rise).
The project's original deadline of March 31 was extended to July 31, and PWD manages roads spanning 1,400 km with a target to fix 1,000 km in the coming years.
- Who
- Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD) and the Finance department's Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC)
- What
- Strengthening and repair of 162 km of dilapidated roads in Delhi, with a revised, higher project cost approved due to higher bitumen prices
- When
- Originally targeted for completion by March 31, deadline later extended to July 31; now aimed to be finished before the end of the year
- Where
- Delhi, India (East and North Maintenance Zones)
- Why
- The US-Iran conflict in West Asia disrupted the bitumen supply chain and pushed up prices, raising the cost of road work
- Road length covered
- 162 km (58.292 km East zone; 104.42 km North zone)
- Original cost
- About Rs 394 crore
- Revised cost
- Rs 587.95 crore
- Cost increase
- About Rs 194 crore (nearly 50%)
- East Maintenance Zone
- Revised Rs 215.23 crore from Rs 147.07 crore (46% surge)
- North Maintenance Zone
- Revised Rs 372.72 crore from Rs 247.31 crore (51% surge)
- Deadlines
- March 31 original, extended to July 31; now targeted before year end
- PWD road network
- 1,400 km under purview; target to fix 1,000 km in coming years