Ashram underpass to open for traffic trials from today

PWD has built the underpass between the Nizamuddin railway bridge and CSIR Apartments at Ashram Chowk, the busiest traffic intersection in the city used by nearly 350,000 vehicles daily.

The Ashram underpass will be opened for traffic trials from Tuesday -- three years after work began on the project during which it missed seven deadlines -- senior Public Works Department (PWD) officials aware of the development said on Monday.

PWD officials said work on fixing ramp covers was still going on at the Ashram underpass. They said it will now be done during the night.  (Sanchit Khanna/HT photo)

PWD has built the underpass between the Nizamuddin railway bridge and CSIR Apartments at Ashram Chowk, the busiest traffic intersection in the city used by nearly 350,000 vehicles daily.

But commuters can expect relief only when the Ashram flyover extension work, which is being carried out simultaneously, is also completed.

A PWD official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said work on the underpass was almost complete, and traffic trials will begin from Tuesday. “Some pending work on the installation of covers on the ramps and foot-overbridges will now be completed during night. The trials will be held along with the Delhi Traffic Police during the day, and the underpass will be closed during the night for finishing the pending work. We also need to carry out minor repair works,” the official said.

During an inspection of the work at the underpass on March 7, deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who also holds the PWD portfolio, announced that the underpass will be opened for traffic on March 22. Sisodia took over the PWD portfolio on February 23.

The 750-metre underpass, work on which began in December 2019, is one of the most delayed infrastructure projects in the city having missed seven deadlines, leading to persistent jams at one of the city’s most critical and traffic intensive stretches. The underpass is aimed at providing a signal-free ride between Nizamuddin and Badarpur on Mathura Road at Ashram intersection.

The foundation stone for the underpass was laid down by the chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 24, 2019 and it was initially expected to be completed by December 2020.

The Ashram Chowk serves as a gateway to Delhi for the NCR cities of Noida and Faridabad. Apart from protracted work, poor site management, lack of traffic management measures , and simultaneous construction of the flyover extension have ensured that the crossing remains a nightmare for the commuters.

Though no formal date has been announced for the inauguration and full-scale operations at the underpass, PWD officials said the trials may last for around one week. “We have communicated to our senior officials that the underpass work is almost complete and it can be inaugurated around March 31,” a second PWD official said who asked not to be named.

A government spokesperson did not comment on the opening date of the underpass.

S Velmurugan, chief scientist, Central Road Research Institute (CRRI) said a lot of work was still pending such as ramp covers, signboards, road markings, etc, and added that a safety audit of the intersection should be carried out before opening it for traffic. “Pre-opening audit is a must for understanding changes required for safe pedestrian movement, junction design for right turning traffic and other interventions. PWD cannot open it in haste,” he said.

Velmurugan added that traffic snarls will continue until the ongoing work on the flyover extension is completed.

The flyover is being extended from Maharani Bagh up to Delhi-Noida Direct Flyway with ramp towards Sarai Kale Khan to provide smoother traffic between Lajpat Nagar and Noida. On March 7, Sisodia said that the flyover will be completed by August.

On Monday, Sisodia also reviewed the construction of the roads and the tunnel around Pragati Maidan, Bhairon Marg, Mathura Road and Ring Road.

The minister said that the project will be completed in another month. “Reviewed the construction of the roads and tunnel around/under Pragati Maidan, Bhairon Marg, Mathura Road and Ring Road. This corridor will soon ease traffic in and around Ring Road and India Gate. The work is almost complete and will be ready to be opened in a month,” Sisodia tweeted.

Together with the underpass, the tunnel road project is expected to decongest a massive stretch between ITO and the Ashram Chowk on Mathura Road, as well as provide smoother commute between east and south Delhi.