Mobility or Identity

Dehradun’s --- economy largely come from shopping hubs, hotels, bakeries and restaurants catering to both locals and tourists.

Proposed Elevated Road Project could change this Trajectory in several ways:

1. Shopping Hubs:

Malls (Pacific, Centrio, Crossroads) and high-street markets (Rajpur Road, Astley Hall, Paltan Bazaar) depend on through-traffic and tourist stopovers. Elevated corridors may divert vehicles above these zones, reducing casual shopping visits. New commercial centers may sprout near entry/exit ramps,  

2. Hotels & Guest Houses:

Mid-segment hotels thrive on overnight stays from tourists halting in Dehradun en route to Mussoorie, Rishikesh, or Char Dham.Elevated express travel could encourage direct journeys, cutting down stopovers and hotel occupancy.Only luxury hotels with destination branding may withstand this shift; budget/mid-range hotels risk losing business.

3. Restaurants & Cafés:

Dehradun has become a food destination (Rajpur cafés, Clock Tower eateries, bakeries).Tourist and transient traffic forms a big share of customers. If cars bypass the inner city, restaurants lose incidental diners. Food courts, highway dhabas, and roadside cafés near elevated corridors may benefit, but the character cafés of Dehradun could suffer.

4.Dehradun’s old bakeries:

 Where the aroma of fresh bread and plum cake has drifted through the lanes for generations. In the 1950s, Ellora’s and Sunrise Bakers became household names—serving buttery rusks, sticky-jaw toffees, and rich fruit cakes that carried the warmth of home. Their counters were not just shops, but meeting places where locals, students, and travellers shared stories over biscuits and buns.

Broader Economic Shift: Elevated roads risk creating a “twin city”:

Above-road economy: fast movement, chain outlets, roadside malls.

Below-road economy: traditional hubs, heritage markets, small hotels struggling for survival.The winners will be big investors along new corridors, while small businesses in the city core may decline.

Warning for Dehradun:

The proposed elevated road project may look like faster travel, but it comes with hidden costs:

In short: Elevated roads don’t just change traffic—they can reshape Dehradun’s economy, hollowing out the city’s identity as a shopping and food stop and replacing it with a pass-through expressway.