PWD plans new elevated corridor in Punjabi Bagh in Delhi

A senior PWD official said the four-lane flyover will come up along the Najafgarh Road (Shivaji Marg)

Even as the work on the much-delayed Punjabi Bagh flyover is on, the Public Works Department (PWD) has begun developing another ”connecting flyover” that is expected to reduce the traffic load on the Punjabi Bagh intersection, officials associated with the project have said.

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PWD plans to build a 2.2-km flyover connecting the existing Zakhira and Karampura flyovers to provide an alternate elevated route to access Rohtak Road from central and west Delhi, officials said. Meanwhile, the development work on the Punjabi Bagh flyover continues to progress at a snail’s pace, impacting traffic movement on the west Delhi section of the Ring Road.

A senior PWD official said the four-lane flyover will come up along the Najafgarh Road (Shivaji Marg), and added that a consultant has been appointed to finalise the detailed project report.

“Connecting loops will be built on either end to connect Karamapura and Zakhira flyovers to the new flyover. The consultant has been appointed to conduct the traffic volume survey and submit the detailed project report. The feasibility study will assess the traffic volume over 24 hours period and throughout a week as well as the economic and environmental benefits of the project,” the official added.

A Delhi government spokesperson did not comment on the project.

The loops, the official said, will enable commuters to Shivaji Marg to Rohtak Road or Old Rohtak Road. “With the construction of the new flyover, residents of DLF Colony, Moti Nagar, Karmapura, Narang Colony, Chander Nagar, Janakpuri, Ramesh Nagar, Uttam Nagar and nearby areas will get relief from traffic jams,” the official said.

He explained that the new flyover will help decongest the area between Anand Parbat to Karampura flyover and Moti Nagar by allowing motorists to bypass the three red light signals and a roundabout along the 3-km-long stretch betweeen Zakhira and Karampura flyover on Shivaji Marg.

“The elevated corridor will come up along an industrial area on one side and a residential pocket on the other. Also, there are several banquet halls located along the road which are a major reason for traffic congestion on the stretch,” official added.

Anil Kumar, a resident of Ramesh Nagar who regularly travels via Najafgarh Road, said that the road stretch near Karampura is especially chaotic due to the presence of a large number of banquet halls. “The road becomes congested in the evening and it takes a couple of hours to reach home specially when multiple marriage function are being held on the banquets located on the main road. Traffic police needs to deploy more personnel along this route to curb illegal parking. A flyover will help ease daily commute,” he said.

Tajinder Singh, another commuter who travels between from Zakhira to Dwarka Mor, said the Najafgarh Road has become a hub of encroachment, e-rickshaws, and lacks traffic planning.

When asked if the two projects will be executed simultaneously causing more chaos in the area, a second PWD official said the two projects will not be implemented simultaneously. The Shivaji Marg work will be initiated after the completion of the Moti Nagar project, he said.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on March 13 inaugurated the three-lane Moti Nagar flyover in West Delhi section of Ring Road, doubling the existing one-way flyover at the location.

The flyover is the part of West Delhi elevated corridor development and connectivity plan for the influence zone of the Ring Road corridor between Punjabi Bagh Flyover and Raja Garden which was launched in September 2022. It was expected to be completed by December 8, 2023. However, the commuters on this stretch will only get partial relief as the second section of the flyover at Punjabi Bagh Club Road is still a work in progress and it is now expected to be completed by July, officials say. PWD had opened the Moti Nagar section of the flyover in March.