Ashram flyover shut, but forced open by traffic rush in two hours

Senior traffic police officers who asked not to be named said they had to open the carriageway from Lajpat Nagar towards DND to ease traffic immediately as the at surface road was simply unable to take the heavy load.

The Ashram flyover on the Ring Road was closed on Sunday for the last leg of construction work to link it with an extension built around 50m further down the Ring Road. However, within two hours, the traffic police had to open one carriageway as the closure triggered massive snarls with bumper-to-bumper traffic extending up to AIIMS.

The Ashram flyover was shut on Sunday evening. However, one carriageway had to be opened due to heavy traffic rush. (Sanjeeev Verma/HT Photo)

Senior traffic police officers who asked not to be named said they had to open the carriageway from Lajpat Nagar towards DND to ease traffic immediately as the at surface road was simply unable to take the heavy load.

An officer speaking on condition of anonymity said they will hold a meeting with the Public Works Department again, and monitor traffic at Ashram in real time on Monday morning to see if they need to reopen both carriageways. “There was massive traffic within two hours. It was unmanageable. Vehicles moving towards Ashram were stuck till AIIMS. So we had to open this carriageway (Lajpat Nagar- Ashram) while the other carriageway(Ashram to Lajpat Nagar) is closed,” the officer said.

This, however, exposed yet again how unprepared the agencies were to manage the massive rush of vehicles that needs to be diverted at the key traffic intersection which is used by more than 350,000 vehicles every day.

The side carriageways that will take the traffic load due to the flyover closure continued to remain in a bad shape, and were encroached upon on multiple points, ensuring that commuters had no reprieve.

The Ashram flyover, which allows traffic on the intersection to bypass traffic on the Mathura Road, had to be shut down for 45 days for the remaining construction work on the extension of the elevated carriageway up to DND with loops towards Sarai Kale Khan.

The Public Works Department (PWD) has put up banners and posters with diversion signs at multiple points, alerting commuters that the Ashram flyover is shutting from January 1, and advising people to take alternate routes.HT saw many such boards on the DND Flyway leading to the Ashram Chowk. However, the signage meant for the incoming traffic from DND Flyway had been wrongly placed on the CV Raman Marg. Till late evening, officials were yet to place it correctly.

The footpaths along the stretch are broken and encroached upon at various places, which means foot traffic will spillover on the carriageways. A large pit is lying uncovered on the footpath near the DTL colony. The construction site has not been properly barricaded.

“The PWD has not done enough work to ensure a smooth shifting of the traffic from the flyover to the side ways. We are forced to walk on the roads because the footpaths don’t exist,” said Ramesh Kumar, a local resident navigating through the footpath to reach his house in Sunlight Colony.

Many people from Jeevan Nagar, Kilokri, DTL Colony, and Sunlight Colony, among others, use the footpath to go to the Ashram Metro station and bus terminal. Since footpaths are blocked or broken, they walk on the road, causing the traffic to slow down on the busy road.

At Nehru Nagar bus stop, work is going on to repair the sidewalk. The construction materials are dumped on the road, blocking it. The road from DND flyway towards Lajpat Nagar is also dotted with potholes and no re- carpeting has been done.

The re- carpeting of the side roads was important before the closure of the flyover to ensure the discharge of traffic was not slowed, according to S Velmurugan, chief scientist at the Central Road Research Institute. “The reason behind traffic congestion is slow discharge of traffic from a road,” he said. “The obstructions will put brakes on the vehicles, and will slow down the discharge of the vehicles, leading to traffic congestion.”

Delhi Traffic Police had put up multiple suggestions to the PWD to complete before the closure, like making the carriageway from Ashram crossing to Sarai Kale Khan free of obstructions, re- carpeting both carriageways, and fixing the footpaths. HT on Sunday evening found out that no substantial work has been done on the suggestions to divert Sarai Kale Khan bound traffic coming from CV Raman Marg.

No reaction was available from PWD despite calls and texts to at least three senior officials.

Traffic police have advised commuters to use alternative routes to avoid the jams at Ashram.

“Commuters coming from the Badarpur side are advised to follow Mata Mandir Marg for Ring Road and Sarai Kale Khan. Commuters coming from Badarpur, Sarita Vihar, Jamia are advised to follow a U-turn for Captain Gaur Marg, Lajpat Nagar, AIIMS and commuters coming from Chirag Delhi and the IIT side are advised to follow Ring Road for Noida,” said the advisory.

Similarly, commuters travelling from Akshardham and Noida side have been advised to follow Bhairon Road, Mathura Road-Sarai Kale Khan for AIIMS and Dhaula Kuan, while those coming from AIIMS and New Delhi are advised to follow Lodhi Road, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg for Ring Road and Mathura Road.