Dug up roads, rows of barricades, traffic diversions and slow vehicular movement, if this explains the state of many roads in the city where metro railway is scheduled to pass though, the scene will be drastically different when the gleaming carriages roll out on its tracks. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation claims it is as concerned about the surface of the roads as it is about its own turf. After introducing a clean and a quick mode of transport in the city, it is now taking care to ensure that roads that had become a motorist's nightmare are re-laid and redone. The DMRC says in several parts of the city, narrow, congested roads will be widened to improve the flow of traffic. "The Delhi Metro project is being constructed in one of the most congested cities of the world with a very high vehicle density. This poses a very serious challenge because all across the city space on roads had to be occupied to facilitate metro construction,' said DMRC Chief Public Relations Officer Anuj Dayal. To reverse the damage to road space and surfaces, DMRC as part of its corporate social responsibility has made extensive studies of possible traffic bottlenecks and changed the road geometry to ensure that road users faced minimum problems, said Mr. Dayal. Traffic marshals have been deputed to ensure minimal disturbance to commuters and roads widened before construction activity is taken up. "Traffic marshals have been stationed wherever diversions are carried to avoid confusion. After Phase I of constructions got over and the Metro corridors became operational, several roads have become wider than before. The roads were also re-carpeted to improve their condition,' said Mr. Dayal, pointing out that a similar exercise would be carried out for the ongoing second phase of construction. Citing examples of some roads where DMRC has made improvement in the road geometry, Mr. Dayal said: "On the entire stretch of Line I, roads were widened as the viaduct was constructed on the median of the road. The roads were widened by about 1.5 m to 3 m on either side. Curves on roads were straightened wherever land was available. After construction, greening was also done under the viaduct.' After construction of the Metro station, Boulevard Road has become signal free near the Metro station. This was a major intersection where traffic converged from East Delhi, Delhi University and Old Delhi. A road about 300 m long from Pratap Nagar metro station towards Old Railway Bridge was widened, which was only 8 m wide and had no median. DMRC converted it into a 16 m wide road with median by using space provided to it on the side of the road. For Phase II, at the congested Vikas Marg, which earlier had three lanes, DMRC has taken over the median for construction and increased the road width to 3.5 lanes. At Gurgaon's busiest address, MG Road that had four lanes, DMRC took over 9 m at the median for construction of piers. "Even after taking over the median, the road continues to have three lanes and after completion of construction, it will again have four lanes. Proper opening for entry into malls will also be made,' said Mr. Dayal. Similarly at Ashok Nagar where there is a single-lane road connecting Noida from Mayur Vihar district centre, DMRC is reorganising the road that will now have two lanes on either side.