Delhi Traffic Police activates 2 signals at Barapullah to tackle congestion at merging points after Phase 3 opening

Two more traffic signals are planned within a fortnight at the Sun Dial Park loop and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway junction near Kilokari.

The Delhi Traffic Police has activated traffic signals at two key merging points on the old section of the Barapullah elevated corridor to manage congestion following the opening of Phase III, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

A commuter criticised the new signal timings at the Barapullah-DND merging point, claiming the 70-second red light and 20-second green light could worsen daily traffic jams. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

The signals are located where traffic from the old elevated corridor merges with the Ring Road towards Sarai Kale Khan and where vehicles on the Barapullah corridor merge with the DND Flyway towards Noida.

At least two officials aware of the arrangements, who sought to remain anonymous, said the move followed detailed traffic surveys conducted after the September 29 opening of Phase III and the opening of the newly constructed Delhi-Mumbai Expressway triggered prolonged gridlocks around Sarai Kale Khan.

The two signal poles had been installed more than three years ago but remained non-functional because traffic was manageable without them. With vehicles now piling up at merging points, traffic police and other agencies identified signalisation as one of the possible solutions, the officials said.

Commuter Reactions and Signal Timings

The new arrangement already received sharp reactions from commuters as some criticised the traffic police for worsening the traffic situation. “How to make a bad thing worse - install a red light where Barapullah meets the DND with a 70-second red light and just a 20-second green. Convert what is a daily 300 metres jam to an easy 1 km traffic jam on the Barapullah that to on a public holiday,” a commuter posted on X.

The move, however, marks a departure from the corridor’s original vision of providing signal-free movement.

“We have replaced the old non-functional signal lights with new ones. The stop-wait-go timers have also been set according to the peak and non-peak hours. The two signals were activated on Sunday. As of now, we are at the trial stage, the aim of which is to understand the exact waiting and moving timers that should be set,” one officer said.

The timers are currently being tested at different combinations, including 30:50 and 30:70 seconds, with 30 seconds allocated to the green signal, the officer added.

The second officer said the signal at the old Barapullah-DND merging point would remain operational round the clock. The other, on the Ring Road carriageway towards the Millennium Park-ITO flyover, would operate in “blinker mode” during non-peak hours.

The latter signal is activated between 3pm and 9pm, the officer said. During this period, traffic approaching from the Barapullah corridor towards AIIMS and Lodhi Colony and vehicles on the Ring Road coming from Ashram and Mathura Road are each allocated 70 seconds of waiting time. The timings may be revised depending on traffic conditions, the officer added.

More Signals Planned as Congestion Persists

Traffic police are also planning to install signals at two more locations within the next fortnight: where the old Barapullah loop meets Phase III near Sun Dial Park, and where the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway joins the Ring Road near Kilokari, towards Sarai Kale Khan from Ashram Chowk.

Phase III was expected to improve connectivity and reduce travel time. Instead, its opening has coincided with persistent congestion across the Barapullah corridor, the Ring Road and the DND around Sarai Kale Khan, as vehicles from multiple directions struggle to negotiate merging points. The snarls have affected commuters travelling between south-central Delhi and east Delhi and Noida.

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