E-Paper
Gadkari in Gurugram: U-turn underpass at Sirhaul, near Ambience Mall, to open by October 15
A U-turn underpass at Sirhaul toll plaza, near the Ambience Mall on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway is set to open for traffic on October 15, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday during a visit to the city to review work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway
A U-turn underpass at Sirhaul toll plaza, near the Ambience Mall on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway is set to open for traffic on October 15, Union transport minister Nitin Gadkari announced on Thursday during a visit to the city to review work on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
The Sirhaul underpass has been a longstanding demand of Gurugram residents, as it will help them avoid going to Rajokri in Delhi for taking a U-turn to reach Ambience Mall and DLF Phase-3.
The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), which is constructing the underpass, has missed several deadlines for this project but officials said that the work on the underpass is almost complete and they would ensure it opens on October 15.
Vikas Mittal, senior manager, NHAI, said that the work on the underpass was in the final stages and they were in the process of fixing lights, planting greenery and signage. “This underpass will greatly reduce congestion at Sirhaul toll plaza,” he said.
Work on the underpass commenced on March 5, 2019, and it was to be completed by September 2020. However, due to delays in shifting MCD (Delhi municipality) toll booths and lockdown imposed due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the project was delayed, said officials.
The length of the underpass, including the roads, is 1.5 kilometres, while the underground stretch is 377 metres long and seven metres wide across.
Speaking at the event, Gadkari said that this U-turn underpass will ease congestion and provide relief to commuters. “We have worked on several projects to decongest Gurugram and these include several underpasses and flyovers at Signature Tower, Iffco Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and other points. We have also sanctioned new projects to ease traffic at Manesar, Bilaspur and Kapriwas,” he said.
Gadkari said that besides these projects, several more worth around ₹1,200 crore have been sanctioned for smoother traffic flow on the Delhi-Jaipur highway.
