Second carriageway of Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan flyover to open October 22

Work of the three-lane flyover is 100% complete and beautification work is now being undertaken, said public works department officials

The second carriageway of the Sarai Kale Khan flyover, part of the structure’s doubling project which is expected to make commuting smoother for those travelling from ITO to Ashram, is now complete, officials associated with the project said on Tuesday, adding that the section could be open for traffic on Sunday.

During the spot check at Sarai Kale Khan flyover on Tuesday afternoon, HT saw that trial runs were being conducted to assess the structure. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

A senior Public Works Department (PWD) official said that beautification work including the addition of wall-painting on the piers of the flyover structure is now being undertaken.

“We have already moved the file to the state government for the inauguration of the facility. The ceremony will likely be held at 12.30pm on October 22,” the PWD official said, requesting anonymity.

Meanwhile, Delhi government officials did not respond to HT’s requests for comments.

During the spot check on Tuesday afternoon, HT saw that trial runs were being conducted to assess the structure. “We had also carried out trial runs by releasing batches of vehicles on Monday,” the official said.

At present, the site has a one-way flyover for vehicles plying from Ashram towards ITO but not for those plying from ITO to Ashram and this leads to congestion at the T-junction red light. The new flyover is expected to create a signal-free corridor at the Sarai Kale Khan T-junction on Ring Road.

After the project missed its July deadline, PWD minister Atishi inspected the project on August 7, when the flyover was 90% complete, expressing dissatisfaction over the progress.

A second PWD official said that Sarai Kale Khan is one of the busiest areas in terms of traffic and soon this traffic load will increase due to the construction of the Rapid Rail Transit System.

The area already has a railway station, a Metro station, and ISBT. Sarai Kale Khan is expected to develop as a critical transport hub in the coming year. The 643-metre-long three-lane flyover, which will run parallel to the existing one from Ashram to ITO, has been built at an estimated cost of ₹65.55 crore.

Currently, the traffic coming from Akshardham, Delhi-Meerut expressway and Mayur Vihar merges with the stretch and once complete the flyover will facilitate the commute from Ghaziabad and ITO towards Ashram crossing.