More mess ahead at Ashram, Delhi PWD, cops work to ease snarls

The Ashram flyover, which bridges south Delhi, south-east Delhi and New Delhi with neighbouring Noida and Ghaziabad, may be shut for traffic from December 25, as authorities work to link it with an extension being built a few metres ahead.

The Delhi Public Works Department (PWD) is working with the city traffic police in the run-up to the final leg of work on the Ashram flyover extension to ensure a transition that minimises snarls and bottlenecks in the already overburdened stretch and leaves commuters with enough time to take alternative routes, officials aware of the matter said.

A traffic bottleneck near the extension of the Ashram flyover. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

The Ashram flyover, which bridges south Delhi, south-east Delhi and New Delhi with neighbouring Noida and Ghaziabad, may be shut for traffic from December 25, as authorities work to link it with an extension being built a few metres ahead. The Delhi traffic police posted an advisory to this effect on social media on Thursday morning, warning commuters that the closure is likely to impact traffic on the Ashram crossing, Mathura Road Outer Ring Road, and the DND flyway.

But some officials suggested on Thursday evening that date may be pushed back. “The traffic police have given us several suggestions like creating U-turns, installing new red lights, signages, and advisory boards from Lajpat Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan, as well as deploying 50 civil defence volunteers at the site to assist vehicular traffic. The site in-charge and traffic police officers are meeting regularly to work out the minute details. Compliance with all of the police’s suggestions is likely to take some more time,” said a PWD official, who asked not to be named.

“There is a list of things that are needed to be done before the flyover can be shut for work, because there will be a lot of chaos and heavy impact on traffic if it’s shut before arrangements are made,” a senior Delhi Police officer said, asking not to be named.

Work on linking the flyover and extension is likely to take 45 days, PWD officials and traffic police officers have said, a period that is likely to throw traffic across several key stretches in Delhi out of gear. Both carriageways of the flyover will be out of bounds and will substantially increase pressure on neighbouring approach roads and other key arterial roads, including Outer Ring Road, not to mention worsen the already nightmarish traffic situation at the Ashram intersection.

The key crossing, which is used by 350,000 vehicles every day, has borne the brunt of two construction work on two major infrastructure projects for the past few years — an underpass on Mathura Road, which was opened earlier this year, after eight delays; and the extension, work on which has been hindered by Covid-induced lockdowns and anti-pollution curbs.

HT on Thursday reported that traffic experts had warned the government and police to put in place measures to soften the blow that is likely to be dealt by the closure of the flyover. They steps they suggested included fixing approach roads, clearing out pavements, and creating sensible diversions, before closing off the carriageways.

The Delhi Police have made 19 suggestions, while granting a no-objection certificate for the closure. These include installing a traffic signal at Taimur Nagar T-junction and moving a traffic signal from a DTC bus stand about 50 metres after it “to an appropriate place”.

They have also recommended that footpaths on both carriageways on the stretch and on CV Raman Marg be reconstructed to ensure seamless pedestrian movement.