Four fixes proposed to ease Mukarba Chowk congestion

The completion of an underpass near Haiderpur-Badli metro station has paved the way for the second phase of the Mukarba Chowk decongestion project

The completion of an underpass near Haiderpur-Badli metro station has paved the way for the second phase of the Mukarba Chowk decongestion project, under which Delhi plans four more traffic interventions to tackle bottlenecks at this key intersection of Outer Ring Road and GT Karnal Road.

Anuj Gupta, a regular commuter from Rohini to central Delhi said that the section of Outer Ring Road near Mukarba Chowk is a nightmare, especially during peak hours.

The proposed works include a new railway overbridge (ROB) linking Jahangirpuri Industrial Area with Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar, widening the existing ROB on the Outer Ring Road from six to 10 lanes, adding two lanes to the left-turn slip road towards National Highway-44 and constructing a three-lane elevated road along the Bhalswa flyover, according to officials.

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The Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC), the planning arm of the Delhi Development Authority (DDA), took up the second phase of the project last month as part of its plan to retrofit existing road corridors.

“The intersection witnesses heavy truck movement to Azadpur and the surrounding industrial areas, besides interstate traffic from Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh, which mixes with local traffic on the Outer Ring Road, creating severe bottlenecks. While the new underpass near Max Hospital Road will ease some pressure, additional interventions are required considering the traffic volume at Mukarba Chowk,” a senior government official said.

Under the decongestion plant, the public works Department (PWD) was directed to resolve potential traffic conflict between vehicles moving from the Outer Ring Road towards Max Hospital Road (through the slip road) and those using the extension of the RUB up to Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar.

“A new four-lane Railway Overbridge will come up across existing railway line on the Transport Nagar side which will help connect the Jahangirpuri Industrial Area directly. It will help heavy vehicles bypass the Mukarba Chowk entirely. Currently, they take the GT Karnal route along Bhalswa, cross the intersection and then take Outer Ring Road to move towards Jahangirpuri,” official added.

During discussions on the proposal, the PWD informed UTTIPEC that it would obtain the necessary no-objection certificates from the concerned land-owning agencies while preparing the detailed project report (DPR) for the bridge.

The existing six-lane ROB on the Outer Ring Road -- used by commuters moving between North Delhi areas like Madhuban Chowk and Pitampura towards GT Karnal Road or towards Wazirabad-- will also be widened by constructing additional bridge spans on both sides, increasing its capacity to 10 lanes. Officials said the widening is necessary because the bridge has become a bottleneck on an otherwise 10-lane corridor.

UTTIPEC has also directed the PWD to take up two additional works in coordination with the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI): widening the left-turn slip road towards NH-44 by two lanes and constructing a three-lane elevated road from the Bhalswa flyover. The elevated road will include a two-lane ramp running parallel to Pushta Road before merging ahead of the proposed RRTS station.

Anuj Gupta, a regular commuter from Rohini to central Delhi said that the section of Outer Ring Road near Mukarba Chowk is a nightmare, especially during peak hours. “Traffic comes to grinding halt near Haiderpur due to the narrow road. Over the last two years, the underpass work has worsened the problem. Buses from other states heading towards ISBT and heavy trucks are a key problem. Sometimes we get stuck for 20-30 minutes just to cross the chowk,” Gupta added.

The first phase of the Mukarba Chowk decongestion project involved the construction of a ₹59.5-crore underpass near Haiderpur-Badli metro station. The underpass is expected to improve connectivity between Badli and north Delhi areas such as Shalimar Bagh, Pitampura and Azadpur by allowing traffic to bypass the junction, reducing travel distance by around 1.5 km.

Launched in September 2022 with a completion target of October 2023, the project was delayed by disputes over land ownership, shifting of utilities and other logistical hurdles. Officials said the proposed second-phase works are also expected to face challenges, including obtaining approvals from the Railways and the Irrigation and Flood Control Department, transplanting trees, and relocating high-tension power lines and Delhi Jal Board’s twin water pipelines.