90% of Punjabi Bagh flyover ready, may open by August

Officials said there are delays in the Punjabi Bagh flyover is due to pending tree felling permissions but that should not affect the project’s opening

The construction work on the Club Road flyover in Punjabi Bagh, west Delhi, is 90% complete and will be ready for use by August, officials from the Public Works Department (PWD) said.

The status of Punjabi Bagh Club Flyover construction at Ring Road as of March 2024. (HT Photo)

This is one of the two flyovers part of the West Delhi Integrated Transit Corridor Development (WDITCD) and street network between Punjabi Bagh and Raja Garden flyovers.

Officials said there are delays in the project due to pending tree felling permissions but that should not affect the opening of the flyover. “We have already completed about 90% of the work and will be able to get it ready for inauguration by August. We have still not received the tree felling permission for about 33 trees but that will not impact the opening. It will affect the repair work at grade,” said a PWD official, requesting anonymity.

The project had missed its December 2023 and February 2024 deadlines because utilities such as high-tension power cables and a water pipeline in the area had not been shifted by the agencies concerned. Officials, however, said that these hurdles have been cleared.

HT reported in September 2023 that the Delhi high court stayed a notification permitting the felling of 33 trees on the Ring Road, Punjabi Bagh, for the construction of the Raja Garden flyover until July 29. Officials said that these trees are at the ground level and will affect the repair of the road stretch under the flyover.

“We need to repair and construct the road at grade along with footpath and other Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) infrastructure as part of the street network development that will remain on hold till we get a clearance from the court for felling of 33 trees,” said the official quoted above.

With one carriageway of the Naraina flyover shut for repairs, and restrictions in place due to the development of the Punjab Bagh flyover, two major bottlenecks have formed on the Ring Road between Dhaula Kuan and Punjabi Bagh. Once ready, the stretch will help ease congestion due to high vehicular traffic between south and west Delhi areas from Dhaula Kuan to Azadpur and surrounding areas.

The nearly 1.1km-long six-lane Club Road flyover under construction is the second section of the WDITCD. The first section of the corridor, the Moti Nagar flyover, was inaugurated by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 13. Both sections of the flyover are part of the west Delhi elevated corridor launched in September 2022, to be completed by December 2023. Aside from the flyover, a subway is also being built near Punjabi Bagh.

The estimated cost of this project is ₹352.32 crore. An expenditure of ₹174.31 crore had been incurred till October 2023 according to the latest economic survey of Delhi released in March.

The Delhi government had earlier announced that this flyover would be used by more than 1,250,000 vehicles daily and would help save more than 600,000 litres of fuel yearly. This will also save about 9,000 man-hours in terms of travel time, the Delhi government has claimed.