Advisory in place for heavy traffic on NH-48

The service lanes have been shut for around two months in order to allow NHAI to construct a tunnel from NH-48 to Delhi’s IGI Airport

The traffic police in Delhi and Gurugram issued an advisory for commuters on NH-48 (Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway), warning them of curbs due to the closure of service lanes between the Sirhaul border and Rajokri.

Heavy traffic near the Sirhaul border on Tuesday. (ANI)

Traffic police officers advised commuters — especially people travelling to IGI — to start their journey at least an hour ahead of schedule due to the heavy build-up of traffic between Sirhaul border in Gurugram and Rangpuri near the airport.

Gurugram deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Virender Vij advised commuters to take the Dwarka expressway, MG Road, the Old Gurugram-Delhi Road, or any other alternative routes to avoid delays from traffic jams and snarls.

The service lanes have been shut for around two months in order to allow National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) to construct a tunnel from NH-48 to IGI Airport as part of the ongoing Dwarka expressway project, officials said.

“The underpass is more than 2km long, but the construction of an 80-metre stretch to connect to NH-48 was pending, which has been taken up,” a senior NHAI official said.

Delhi Traffic Police, in a post on X, said, “Due to ongoing work, being carried out by NHAI, a part of Service Road of NH-48 will remain closed for the next 02 months, and as a result, the traffic will remain affected.”

The lane closure is primarily to protect utilities such as underground power cables and gas pipelines, which could be damaged by continued vehicular movement, the NHAI official said. “The actual blockade is between Shiv Murti and Rangpuri, aimed at protecting critical infrastructure,” he said.

A senior official with the project contractor said they have deployed a team to remove guard rails on some stretches of the service lanes to reduce congestion.

“The affected area, however, will remain barricaded for safety reasons,” he said.

The development comes days after the Delhi Traffic Police on September 6 first issued, and then rescinded an advisory regarding vehicular movement on NH-48.