New Delhi, Dec. 5 -- The Delhi government is aiming to redevelop around 400 km of arterial roads or about a third of the city's road network that fall under the public works department (PWD), by March 2026, using state funds and allocations from the Central Road Fund (CRF), officials said. "Delhi deserves world-class roads built with honesty, speed and zero tolerance for corruption. We are setting new standards for mobility in the Capital. I have asked officials to ensure that the work is done with minimum traffic disruption and pollution," PWD minister Parvesh Verma said. While road repairs are allowed under Stage-3 of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap), the work will be suspended under Stage-4. PWD officials said after the overhaul, the upgraded corridors will reduce travel times, improve freight mobility and ease maintenance pressure for years. The PWD, which maintains roughly 1,400km of Delhi's arterial network, was instructed to sharply scale up execution, even through the winter, to meet the 2026 deadline. The redevelopment covers 402km, of which 300.917km are financed under the CRF and another 100.944km through state funds. Under the CRF component, the PWD will focus on some of Delhi's busiest circulation corridors that support interstate traffic. These include the Eastern Approach Road in Wazirabad (3.56km), Road No. 68 in north-east Delhi (2.2km), sections of the Old GT Road (0.799km), a 1.10km stretch of Road No. 59 at the Loni border, and the 1.8km Narela-Alipur stretch. The government cleared improvements in dense residential belts and institutional zones where deteriorated roads impede movement and increase pollution. Verma instructed PWD to ensure that roads have better drainage, footpaths and long-lasting surface strength. While the target extends to 2026, officials said that a significant portion of work, particularly CRF-funded stretches, needs to begin within days due to compliance deadlines. Adding to the complexity is the winter temperature drop. Road engineering require warm conditions for bitumen laying, and night temperatures in December and January fall below 15degC, making material bonding unreliable. Verma has asked works to be carried out in the daytime for at least two months, to complete resurfacing and ensuring that the temperature criteria is met....