PWD set to repair 3 more Delhi flyovers, work to begin in 2025

Repair work will likely close at least one lane for 30 days, leading to traffic congestion in these areas, said officials.

The Public Works Department (PWD) is set to commence repairs on three more flyovers—Zakhira, Raja Garden, and Shadipur—that require immediate maintenance, said officials on Sunday. The repair work is expected to span the next year and will begin after the ongoing Sarita Vihar flyover repairs conclude, they added.

The Sarita Vihar flyover repairs faced delays despite receiving financial and administrative clearances over a year ago.  (HT Archive)

Repair work will likely close at least one lane for 30 days, leading to traffic congestion in these areas, said officials. While entire carriageways are usually closed for such repairs, officials have recently closed only one lane at a time to allow limited traffic flow.

However, the scope of repair at the flyovers requires shutting down an entire lane, blacktopping, and a curing period of at least 10 days to ensure concrete durability. The schedule is yet to be decided though, officials added, which will depend on the other work going on in the neighbouring areas and traffic arrangements.

“Unlike road recarpeting and filling potholes that can be easily done overnight without blocking traffic, this needs us to shut the entire lane for replacing the joints after which blacktopping is done and then the concrete is cured which is another process that takes at least 10 days,” a PWD official said.

The department recently submitted details for approval from the Delhi government. The process of taking permissions has been started to avoid delays in the work, an official said. The Sarita Vihar flyover repairs faced delays despite receiving financial and administrative clearances over a year ago.

PWD officials highlighted that these flyovers are several decades old and have not undergone major repairs in recent years. Built in 1971, the Shadipur flyover is one of the oldest in Delhi, while Zakhira and Raja Garden flyovers are both approximately 20 years old. The repairs will involve expansion joint replacement, bearing changes, and upper concrete layer restoration, they added.

According to PWD officials, expansion joints, which allow concrete to expand and contract with temperature changes, will be replaced to prevent structural damage. “All three flyovers need repair of spalled and honeycomb concrete, replacement of expansion joints, and elastomeric bearing replacement,” an official added. Additionally, the Zakhira and Shadipur flyovers will require girder strengthening using Carbon Fibre Reinforced Plastic (CFRP) lamination, while Zakhira and Raja Garden need maintenance of POT-PTFE bearings, which are iron bearings used in the structures. The flyovers now need expansion joint replacement along with a change in bearing and upper concrete layer.

Officials said that a structural audit of all three flyovers was also done last year. “The structural audit involves a load-bearing test wherein it is checked whether the maximum deflection and vibration on the bridge are within acceptable limits or not. If the vibration is high, especially during the movement of heavy vehicles, repairs are needed,” said a PWD officer.

Experts say that better planning can help improve the timelines without hampering the repair work. S. Velmurugan, chief scientist and head of the traffic engineering and safety division at the Central Road Research Institute (CRRI), suggested measures to improve repair timelines. “The repair work can take less time if more manpower is put in place and multiple spans are taken up for repairs at one time. Additionally, sufficient notices and signage, along with traffic police deployment, should be made to avoid bottlenecks during repair work. The work should be sufficiently advertised earlier so that people can plan their journeys,” he said.