Metro construction trial causes heavy snarls near Kanhai T-point

The trial will remain in effect until a final traffic plan is formulated and implemented, incorporating feedback from the ongoing changes, officials said.

The ongoing traffic trial for metro construction between Millennium City Centre and Kanhai T-point has triggered severe congestion along the stretch, with long queues of vehicles extending up to the underpass near the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) office in Sector 44, commuters said on Tuesday.

Commuters using the Millennium City Centre underpass said it now takes them up to 10 minutes to exit during rush hours. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The trial will remain in effect until a final traffic plan is formulated and implemented, incorporating feedback from the ongoing changes, officials said.

The Gurugram Metro Rail Limited (GMRL) has barricaded one lane on both sides of the carriageway to facilitate the construction of piers after pile digging on the central verge from Millennium City Centre towards Subhash Chowk. However, the partial road closure has slowed down traffic considerably, especially at the Kanhai T-point, which has a traffic signal and serves as a key junction during peak office hours.

“Frequent jams are happening at this location, as only two lanes are available now to vehicles,” said Deepak Kumar, who works in Sector 44. “The situation is such that traffic jams extend from the Kanhai T-point up to the L-shaped underpass adjacent to Millennium City Centre. The problem becomes more acute during peak hours,” he added.

Several GMDA officials, who use the underpass daily, echoed these concerns, saying that congestion has worsened since the barricading. They suggested that GMRL take measures to divert traffic and ease movement in the area. “I have got stuck a few times in jams, and now instead of using the Kanhai road to reach Sector 56, I prefer to take an inner Sector 44 road connecting with the Z Chowk near Fortis Hospital. This way, the traffic congestion can be avoided, but the situation will be serious once the entire road is barricaded,” said one GMDA official, requesting anonymity.

Commuters using the Millennium City Centre underpass said it now takes them up to 10 minutes to exit during rush hours. “The problem is that the road exiting the underpass is two-lane, while the road from the Millennium City Centre Metro Station is three-lane. This road joins the three-lane main road, but due to metro construction, one lane has been closed for approximately 200 metres. Vehicles from multiple lanes converge at this point, causing the jams,” said Rajesh Yadav, who was waiting in front of the GMDA office for his cab stuck in traffic.

When contacted, a senior GMRL official said the barricading and traffic trial were being conducted to assess movement patterns and identify potential choke points. “We have taken permission from the traffic police for the trial and will be working with authorities in Gurugram to ensure that traffic movement remains streamlined during the construction of the project,” the official said.

Chander Shekhar Khare, CEO of GMRL, said directions had been issued to the metro contractor to ensure minimal inconvenience to commuters. “Directions have been issued that adequate steps should be taken to ensure that hardships to commuters and residents are minimised during construction. We are also working with Gurugram police, traffic police, and the district administration to ensure traffic moves smoothly,” he said.

According to the GMRL plan, to ease congestion near Millennium City Centre, one carriageway of the flyover will be closed to traffic during the trial. Vehicles from Z Chowk will be diverted left from the roundabout onto Dr. Bhim Rao Ambedkar Marg, continuing straight up to the St. Thomas Marg roundabout. From there, commuters can take a right turn at the traffic signal onto St. Thomas Marg, then a slight right onto Bhagwan Mahavir Marg, which merges with Arya Samaj Marg and leads towards Subhash Chowk.

Transport expert and consultant Yash Sachdeva said that authorities must prepare a comprehensive plan to manage traffic during the metro construction phase. “The construction will take place in densely populated areas with high traffic, so there is a need to preempt the problems and work on solutions so that there are no issues during construction,” he said.