PWD roads — Delhi
PWD Delhi GPR Survey and Utility Mapping for Arterial Roads
Lane-by-lane utility mapping on Delhi's 60-foot-plus roads before redesign, flyover, foot over bridge or drain works.
Quick AnswerA PWD Delhi GPR survey records the cables, ducts, mains and drains under the wide arterial roads that the Public Works Department maintains. We run ground penetrating radar (GPR) on footpaths by day and carriageways at night, trace energised cables first and add L-sections where a drain or structure must pass existing lines. See how we choose between underground utility detection methods.
What does a PWD Delhi utility survey involve?
A PWD Delhi utility survey maps the services under the arterial roads of 60 feet and above that the Public Works Department maintains. It comes before flyover, underpass, foot over bridge, drain or road redesign work. Heavy traffic and trunk cables mean the survey is planned lane by lane.
The department belongs to the Government of NCT of Delhi. Its network, reported at roughly 1,400 km, takes in stretches of the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road, elevated roads such as the Barapullah corridor, and many hospitals and schools. Redesigns now rebuild the whole cross-section with footpaths, cycle tracks, drains and lighting, and every one starts with the underground utilities already there.
Narrower colony roads sit with the municipal corporation instead. If part of your scope is a side road, see booking an MCD utility survey so both stretches are drawn to one standard.
Where do services sit across a PWD road?
Mostly at the edges and in the verges, but trunk crossings run right across the carriageway, and those are the lines most often struck.
| Part of the road | Common finds | Main method |
|---|---|---|
| Footpath | LT cables, street lighting, telecom ducts, house connections | Locator + hand-held GPR |
| Service lane | HT cables, optical fibre ducts, water mains | Locator + cart GPR |
| Main carriageway | Cross-road ducts, sewer laterals, storm-drain links | Cart GPR in crossing passes |
| Central verge | Lighting feeders, traffic signal and camera cables, irrigation | Locator + hand-held GPR |
| Flyover and underpass approaches | Diverted services, drainage sumps, pump cables | GPR grid + chamber checks |
Why are cables the main risk on arterial roads?
A damaged HT cable or a cut trunk fibre causes the biggest outage and the longest delay, and bunched cables in a service lane are easy to miss.
A PWD service lane may carry 11 kV and 33 kV cables, several operators' fibre ducts and the department's lighting circuits, stacked at different depths. An electromagnetic locator traces energised lines first, and a signal is applied at any pillar or chamber connection. GPR then catches plastic ducts and dead cables. As a geophysical tool, ground penetrating radar sends high frequency electromagnetic waves into the road and records the reflected signals in real time. To see how one cable is isolated from a bundle, see underground cable detection. The wider choice of tools is set out in our underground utility detection methods article.
How do you scan a busy road without closing it?
One lane at a time, mostly at night, with traffic arrangements from the contractor or agency holding the work permission.
- Lanes and hours are agreed with your traffic team and the permission holder.
- Footpaths and verges are scanned by day, with no lane closure.
- Carriageway passes run at night behind your barricades, every few metres.
- Marks go at the kerb line with coordinates, as lane paint gets resurfaced.
- The drawing carries chainages matching your alignment.
Soil and equipment notes for the whole city sit under read about GPR survey in Delhi. Corridors running on into Haryana or Uttar Pradesh are covered by more on GPR survey in Delhi NCR.
What about flyover piers, foot over bridges and drain works?
Foundations need a tighter, deeper look than a trench. We scan a grid over each pier or footing and give depths for every service inside a set radius.
For a foot over bridge, the staircases and lift pits often land on a footpath full of cables. Box drains along the road edge run parallel to the services they may undercut. Both benefit from an L-section and a few trial pits on key crossings. Roads in the Lutyens' area follow a different council; the Mezux NDMC utility survey page explains how we work there.
How does the drawing help with road cutting permission and tenders?
It gives the permission file and the bid one factual base: where each service runs, its likely depth, and which lines your design must protect or divert.
Utilities crossing or running along a PWD road apply to the department for road cutting permission, and a clear drawing shortens the debate over alignment. We show the proposed route, the utility lines it crosses, each crossing's chainage and a suggested method: open cut, hand dig or trenchless. Fees and conditions are the department's and sit outside our scope.
Arterial road packages often bundle utility shifting into one item. A short tender survey at junctions, bus stops and flyover approaches lets a bidder count the pipes and cables involved. The GIS layer then serves as the utility maps for construction projects, recording each diversion as it is completed.
When is the L-section rate worth it on PWD jobs?
Whenever a structure or gravity line must pass under or beside existing services. At ₹32 per metre against ₹24 for a standard survey, the extra ₹8 buys a depth profile along your alignment.
- A 4.5 km road redesign at the standard rate: 4,500 × ₹24 = ₹1,08,000 plus GST.
- The same length with an L-section for the new drain line: 4,500 × ₹32 = ₹1,44,000 plus GST.
- The minimum order in Delhi NCR is ₹50,000; there is no minimum length.
- Orders above 100 km get 25% off the whole order, above 500 km 40%, and above 1,000 km 50%.
GST is added at the applicable rate. Night shifts and traffic management appear as separate quote lines.
Flyover piers and corridor chainage
A flyover or underpass on a PWD corridor has its piers and ramps fixed in project coordinates, so the utility record must match. We set DGPS control along the corridor. A total station then picks up kerbs, medians, chambers and paint marks, and each service is reported by chainage and offset from the centre line. A designer can check whether a pile cap lands on one of the buried utilities before drawings go out. Night closures are short, so this pick-up happens in the same window as the scan. See DGPS work on Delhi road corridors and chainage and offset survey.
PWD Delhi projects: who scans the road?
Mezux Touch's own day and night crews run every ground penetrating radar survey on PWD roads, with radars the firm bought and maintains. The field work is never handed to another party. PWD Delhi has itself issued us survey orders, and flyover builders, drainage designers and cable-laying utilities on its corridors book us as well. For PWD Delhi utility mapping on a road, flyover or drain package, send us your Delhi site details and a written scope will follow.
Frequently asked questions
Who arranges the lane closure?
The contractor or agency holding the work permission; we give them the lane plan and hours in advance.
Can you scan around existing flyover piers?
Yes. GPR data from the base and verge shows what was diverted when the flyover was built.
Do you detect traffic signal and camera cables?
Yes. They are small, so utility locating starts at the signal controller or junction box where possible.
What about large water mains under the road?
We map them with GPR and chamber checks; for crossing design, see a short guide on DJB pipeline survey.
Do you cover central Delhi roads?
Yes, along with every other district; see survey coverage in New Delhi details.
How far ahead should I book?
Footpath scanning starts the same day or within 1 working day. Night lanes follow once the permission holder fixes the closure hours.
Get a written quote for PWD Delhi works
Delhi authorities
Written by Saniya Parveen · Technically reviewed by Rahul Rai · Updated 8 November 2026