Google Maps adds real-time updates for Delhi's Barapullah Phase-3 weeks after traffic chaos

The absence of the new corridor on Google Maps had been cited by traffic police as one factor contributing to traffic jams on the route and adjoining roads.

Nearly four weeks after the third phase of the Barapullah elevated corridor opened to traffic, Google Maps has begun displaying real-time traffic updates for the new stretch, two senior Delhi Traffic Police officers said on Friday. The update follows requests from the police, as motorists struggled to assess congestion and choose alternative routes.

Experts have repeatedly pointed to the corridor’s design as the primary cause of the congestion. (HT Photo)

“The company took a few days to process our request. Live traffic updates began appearing last Monday, allowing motorists to assess congestion before entering the flyover and choose alternatives such as the DND, NH-24 or Vikas Marg,” an officer said.

Experts point to flyover's design mismatch

The absence of the new corridor on Google Maps had been cited by Delhi Traffic Police as one factor – among many others – contributing to traffic jams on the route and adjoining roads. However, experts have repeatedly pointed to the corridor’s design — particularly the mismatch in lane capacity and the geometry of merging points — as the primary cause of the congestion.

Traffic police have written twice to the Public Works Department (PWD), seeking details of major design changes on the newly opened stretch. An aerial survey by the police had found that two three-lane roads were feeding into a single three-lane corridor at several points.

HT reported earlier this month how the corridor’s merging points ran counter to established traffic-engineering principles, making severe congestion predictable.

While traffic has eased in both directions on the new stretch, jams persist between Sarai Kale Khan and INA Market, particularly during morning and evening peak hours. Bottlenecks also remain at the Barapullah ramps connecting to Ring Road near Sundial Park and the Siddharth Extension gurdwara.

The congestion spills onto Ring Road between Ashram flyover and Sarai Kale Khan flyover, particularly on the carriageway towards IP flyover from Ashram Chowk and Lajpat Nagar.