Ashram flyover may open on Monday: Kejriwal

The opening was initially slated for February 15. The stretch has been closed since January 2 for what is arguably one of the Capital’s most significant decongestion projects

Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Wednesday said the Ashram flyover and a new extension to it is likely to be inaugurated on Monday, raising hopes that painful commute in and around that part of south Delhi could ease soon.

Construction work on the Ashram flyover in late February. (HT Photo)

The opening was initially slated for February 15. The stretch has been closed since January 2 for what is arguably one of the Capital’s most significant decongestion projects on an arterial stretch between the city’s east and south.

A senior Public Works Department (PWD) official, who asked not to be named, said Kejriwal is likely to inaugurate the revamped flyover at 12pm on Monday, and both carriageways of the flyover will be opened.

“It was not delayed due to deputy CM (Manish Sisodia’s arrest). I checked it today… the officials said some work is incomplete. The flyover may be opened on Monday,” said Kejriwal at a press conference. Sisodia held the PWD portfolio till he resigned on Tuesday.

The closure, so that the erstwhile Ashram flyover could be extended to the DND Flyway, led not just to bumper-to-bumper traffic on that part of the Ring Road, but sent ripple effects through many other roads nearby.

The Ashram intersection on the arterial Ring Road is used by over 350,000 vehicles daily and the flyover served to bypass traffic merging with that on the Mathura Road, which is also one of the most important routes in the Capital.

The project was originally given a February 15 deadline, but that date was first pushed to February 28, and finally to March 6.

February 28 was when Sisodia was arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation over charges of corruption in connection with the Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

SS Yadav, special commissioner of police (traffic), said the Ashram flyover will begin operations from Monday. “We had written a letter in this connection to PWD officials after the estimated timeline of 45 days was completed on February 15. Most likely, we may go for a dry run on Sunday evening to analyse the traffic volume,” he said.

At present, vehicles coming and going from Noida and Ghaziabad to south Delhi have to grapple with congestion while travelling from the DND loop to the Ashram intersection.

The construction work of the flyover extension started in June 2020 after the project was approved by the Cabinet. The total cost of the project is ₹128.25 crore while the total length of the flyover including the ramp is 1,425 metres.

During a spot check last week, HT found massive snarls between Lajpat Nagar and Ashram Chowk, and heavy traffic from Noida and Sarai Kale Khan on the other carriageway.

Commuters have had to use the narrow stretches under the flyover, where the roads remain cratered, footpaths non-existent and carriagesways constricted due to construction debris.

Traffic police advisories had asked commuters to use alternative routes, such as the Barapullah elevated corridor, or a detour as far away as via the Bhairon Marg for traffic from across the Yamuna headed towards AIIMS.

Ripple effects were also felt on the Mathura Road, where the worst of the congestion was on the carriageway leading to Ashram from Sarita Vihar, with jams at one point reaching the Apollo Hospital red-light close to 5km away shortly after works had begun in January.