Delhi’s Half Marathon will trigger traffic restrictions and diversions across major central Delhi roads on Sunday, with the Delhi Traffic Police scheduling controls from 4:45 am to 11 am as more than 40,000 participants are expected to take part.
The race will begin from the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium at around 5:10 am. The event will include the 21.097-km half marathon, an open 10-km race, a run for senior citizens and Champions with disabilities, a corporate run and the Great Delhi Run.
The restrictions will cover roads and junctions along Lodhi Road, Mathura Road, Subramaniam Bharti Marg, Dr Zakir Hussain Marg, C-Hexagon, Kartavya Path and other central Delhi corridors. The traffic arrangements are intended to keep the race routes clear while allowing vehicles to use diversions where possible, according to the advisory reported by Live Hindustan.
Key points where restrictions will apply include the Fourth Avenue–Bhishma Pitamah Marg junction beneath the Sewa Nagar flyover, Kotla Red Light, Sewa Nagar Red Light, Meherchand Market Red Light, Second Avenue, Jor Bagh Colony Road and the Sri Aurobindo Marg–Lodhi Road intersection.
Other affected points include the Rajesh Pilot Marg–Amrita Sher-Gil Marg junction, Subramaniam Bharti Marg intersections with Max Mueller Marg, Maharshi Raman Marg and Archbishop Makarios Marg, as well as Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Neela Gumbad, the Mathura Road–Bhairon Road junction and Q-Point.
The advisory also lists restrictions around the Man Singh Road roundabout and the Janpath–Maulana Azad Road junction. These locations connect important residential, institutional, cultural and ceremonial areas of central Delhi, meaning the disruption will extend beyond the immediate stadium precinct.
The half marathon route will leave the stadium through Bhishma Pitamah Marg and Lodhi Road before passing the Sri Aurobindo Marg–Safdarjung Tomb junction, Mathura Road, Subramaniam Bharti Marg and Dr Zakir Hussain Marg. Runners will then move through C-Hexagon towards Kartavya Path, Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Marg, Sewa Teerth Circle, Maulana Azad Road and Man Singh Road before returning through the India Gate Hexagon and Canopy roundabout to the stadium.
The approximately 2.5-km run for Champions with disabilities and senior citizens will follow Bhishma Pitamah Marg and Lodhi Road before taking a left U-turn and finishing at Gate 2 of the stadium. The open 10-km race will use Bhishma Pitamah Marg, Lodhi Road, Sri Aurobindo Marg, Mathura Road, Archbishop Makarios Marg and Subramaniam Marg before returning through Lodhi Road flyover and Dayal Singh College.
The corporate run and Great Delhi Run will be shorter, travelling from the stadium through Bhishma Pitamah Marg and Lodhi Road to the Sri Aurobindo Marg junction. Participants will return along the right carriageway of Lodhi Road and Bhishma Pitamah Marg before finishing outside the main stadium.
The traffic operation comes during the ongoing Navratri period, when Delhi is already hosting religious and cultural gatherings. The additional race-related closures are expected to increase the workload for traffic personnel managing movement across the capital. The restrictions are scheduled to remain in force until 11 am on Sunday, after which normal traffic movement will depend on the clearance of the race routes.
