What happens in the underbelly of flyovers?

A commentary on the approach to designing/building mobility infrastructure in urban India with a focus on the neglected spaces below the flyovers.

*The solution to traffic congestion woes — Flyovers!*
*Photo: Suyashi Paliwal*

In Indian cities, flyovers define ‘modernity’. Over the past four decades, our cities have evolved to revolve around automobiles with their prime focus on how to cater to the demands of vehicular movement and decrease congestion on roads. Planning and development agencies have fetishised the construction of flyovers for years — in reality however, they are only a temporary respite from traffic woes. Constructed at great speed, flyovers are still looked at as engineering projects, rather than holistic urban interventions that effectively alter not just the movement of vehicles, but the urban fabric permanently. The ‘negative’ space created underneath these structures is something that is seldom thought about or at best put an afterthought to.

With our country already facing a shortage of urban land, especially adequate open spaces per person, these ‘negative’ spaces under flyovers pose as valuable assets. This photo – essay discusses how various people have claimed the ‘negative’ space and made it their own. It aims to be a larger commentary on the design of mobility infrastructures in urban India.

*The NOIDA Bypass Flyover — with the area in conversation highlighted*
*Image: Google Earth*

The following section takes a closer look at the NCR’s flyovers, particularly the case of the Noida bypass flyover that was inaugurated in 2017. The city’s first elevated road, the Rs.500 crore project aimed to relieve traffic congestion for people passing through Noida on their way to South Delhi from Ghaziabad and Greater Noida. The 4.8 km six-lane elevated route avoids seven key traffic junctions.

The 4.8 km six-lane elevated route from Vishwa Bharti School in Sector 28 to Sector 61 in Noida
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

What was once a sunny, open area is now permanently shaded, drastically altering the streetscape. While the sight of the looming flyover with its massive pillars is a sore sight for the residents, its underbelly has been utilised by them in numerous ways. Several barber shops, tea stalls and food vendors have found shaded spots in this space, providing respite during the monsoon and reducing business disruptions.

Once an open sunny area is now always in the shade — aiding the set-up of informal barber shops and food and tea stalls
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

The weekly Tuesday market which has been a constant in front of Sector 25 and 31 for several years, started spreading under the newly constructed flyover. It creates a ruckus for passersby, with haphazard parking along the divider and an increasing number of hawkers blocking the road with their carts. E-rickshaws and auto-rickshaws add to the chaos as they wait for passengers underneath this concrete sky.

The weekly Tuesday market spreading underneath the flyover’s entry and exit ramps
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

Ironically, the concrete barriers meant to prevent people from using the space under the flyover have been reclaimed. Food vendors set up carts, people sit on the barricades to chat, and others use the area for afternoon naps.

A busy junction is now closed off near the Nithari village and has become a place full of food vendors and a relaxation space for the villagers
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

The divider under the flyover was meant to have plants that can survive with minimal sunlight, water, and withstand air pollution — while some plants thrive, other areas have barren soil, sometimes littered with garbage. The Noida Authority tried to beautify the city by having local artists paint murals on the flyover pillars.

Beautification methods adopted by the Noida Authority: planters in the raised area between the roads and murals painted by local artists on all pillars of the flyover along with lighting
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

Despite measures like landscaping, concreting, and barricading, some people still live under the flyover. They use concrete slabs to create makeshift homes facing a constant risk of harassment from authorities.

A few people can be found living on the raised area under the flyover
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

The shaded spaces under the flyover and its ramps are often used for parking by cabs, auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws at night. The flyover is busy with private vehicles during the day and cargo vehicles at night, causing noise pollution for nearby hotels, houses, and schools.

Space underneath the flyover’s entry and exit ramps acts as a parking space for not only cars but also auto-rickshaws
Photo: Suyashi Paliwal

The case described above provides only a glimpse into the bustling social interactions and the life underneath flyovers. These ‘residual spaces’ defy planned city ideals, because they have a life of their own. Designers and planners should take into account the multitude of ways people have appropriated such ‘neglected’ spaces, and design better ‘mobility infrastructure’ projects for the people and not just the automobiles.

While this case highlights both positive and negative aspects of a single-use infrastructure project, it prompts one to question whether building flyovers makes sense in Indian cities where only 8% of households own cars (NFHS-5, 2019-21¹). “It’s transport apartheid,” remarks Madhav Pai. The National Urban Transport Policy² of 2014 envisioned cities where people are central to planning for common benefit and well-being. Ultimately, cities are about their people, posing the real challenge: how does one design infrastructure that serves everyone?

– Written by Suyashi Paliwal, Research Fellow

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