PWD misses Delhi’s Ashram flyover extension deadline

The PWD official in charge of the project did not respond to queries regarding the delay and the new deadline

The Public Works Department (PWD) has once again missed the deadline to open the last section of the Ashram extension flyover — the Sarai Kale Khan access loop.

The loop connecting Sarai Kale Khan to the Ashram flyover extension was to open on June 3. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

The Delhi government on May 29 had announced that the loop, which will alleviate the burden on the single (surface-level) route along the flyover, was expected to be completed within five days. It was not immediately known by when the facility would be open for traffic.

A spot check by HT on Sunday found that surface-level roads along the flyover remains badly damaged. During the spot check, it was also found that the under-construction loop still remained out of bounds for traffic, with cement barricades placed over its entry points. While the base of the connecting loop has been readied, PWD is yet to begin the paving of the exposed gravel surface with black bituminous coal tar. The electric wires for streetlight poles remain exposed and the poles were lying on the unfinished section of the carriageway even as the drains along the structure were being developed. The rest of the 1.42km flyover was opened for light vehicles on March 6 and for heavy vehicles on May 29 with the relocation of high-tension power lines passing over the DND Flyway-end of the flyover.

The PWD official in charge of the project did not respond to queries regarding the delay or the new deadline.

However, an official present at the site, requesting anonymity, blamed the intermittent spells of rainfall over the last week for the missed deadline.

“We can initiate the black topping of the surface once the base is dry. It will be open any time next week,” the official said.

The incomplete loop continues to force commuters coming from Sarai Kale Khan to take the surface-level (at-grade) road along Maharani Bagh which is heavily damaged.

HT found that large chunks of gravel along the road were exposed and the road was pothole-ridden and waterlogged. The traffic queue extended from the Ashram intersection to Eastern Avenue and commuters were seen spending around 10-15 minutes to cross the 500-metre stretch.

Vivek Gupta, a frequent commuter on the stretch from east Delhi towards Lajpat Nagar said the area remains damaged. “We still cannot use it. It is a small 20-30-metre patch that needs to be completed and I don’t know why they are taking so long,” he said. Gupta added that the resurfacing of the roads on both sides of the flyover needs to be taken up on priority. “Movement of heavy construction machinery, buses, and trucks have damaged the stretch. Congestion and potholes slow down the movement even further,” he added.

Commander (retd) Bhupesh Kumar Rakhra, president of the residents’ welfare association, Siddharth Enclave, said that even entering and exiting the area has become troublesome due to the damaged roads. “The entire stretch is either full of dust or turns mucky during rains. Urgent re-carpeting is required. People moving on two-wheelers are at an even greater risk. Every time we get the same response from PWD that they will take it up soon,” he said.

Nearly three months after the inauguration of the flyover, the corridor was opened for heavy vehicles on May 29.

While inaugurating the project, the PWD engineer-in-chief, Anant Kumar, said that the pending work and development of the access loop will be completed in a month. However, the department overshot multiple deadlines over the last three months.