Mukarba Chowk underpass to be opened for traffic in March

The Mukarba Chowk underpass in Delhi will open in March, easing traffic by reducing travel distance by 1.5km and cost ₹59.5 crore to build.

New Delhi: The Mukarba Chowk underpass near Haiderpur Badli Metro station on Outer Ring Road in northwest Delhi will be opened for traffic in March, officials said on Saturday.

The underpass is expected to ease traffic congestion at the crucial junction (HT)

The underpass is part of the Mukarba Chowk decongestion project launched in September 2022, which was initially expected to be completed by October 2023. However, the progress has been marred by delays, and is now expected to open 2.5 years after the initial deadline expired.

Built at a cost of about ₹59.5 crore, the underpass is expected to ease traffic congestion at the crucial junction used by both local traffic as well as motorists headed to Haryana. The objective of the underpass is to reduce the traffic load on GT Road and Outer Ring Road, officials said.

Currently, vehicles enroute from Badli to to Shalimar Bagh on Outer Ring Road have to use a loop on the main Mukarba Chowk. With the new underpass, the travel distance will be reduced by 1.5km, officials said.

Once the underpass becomes operational, motorists travelling from Badli village and the adjoining colonies near SGT Nagar to Shalimar Bagh, Adarsh Nagar or Azadpur would have access to a shorter route, they added

“Construction of the underpass is nearly complete, and lighting and finishing touches are underway. Three smaller underpass boxes have been constructed here, specifically for crossing the Outer Ring Road,” a senior official said.

PWD has constructed three underpasses at Gate No. 3 of the Haiderpur Badli metro station. “One of these, Underpass-1, will be for pedestrians and non-motorised vehicles, and will allow metro passengers to cross the Outer Ring Road towards Shalimar Bagh and Azadpur Mandi. The second underpass will be used for travel from Badli or Outer Ring Road to Shalimar Bagh. The underpass is approximately 50 meters long, 9.6 meters wide, and 6 meters high,” the official added.

Currently, to travel from Badli or Wazirabad to Shalimar Bagh, motorists use the Mukarba Chowk flyover. “Once traffic begins through this underpass, they will no longer need to take a detour of about 1.5km. The third underpass box section will be used to travel from Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar to Azadpur Mandi. Work on all three underpasses has been completed, and an inauguration is planned for March,” the official explained.

The work on the underpass has also repeatedly caused damage to the Outer Ring Road surface above it, causing damage to road and traffic disruptions on multiple occasions. “It has been temporarily repaired multiple times with recarpeting work during the box pushing of the third and final concrete box. The stretch would be permanently repaired now,” official explained.