Trials over, Sirhaul U-turn underpass near Ambience Mall opens

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) on Monday formally opened the underpass at Sirhaul toll plaza after conducting a week-long trial and safety audit

The National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has formally opened the underpass at Sirhaul toll plaza after conducting trials and a safety audit since October 18, officials said on Monday.

Officials of the NHAI said that at present, lights in the Sirhaul U-turn underpass near Ambience Mall are being powered using diesel generator sets and that they will be switched to a regular power supply once a connection is provided by the distribution company. (Vipin Kumar /HT PHOTO)

Officials of the NHAI said that at present, lights are being powered using diesel generator sets and that they will be switched to a regular power supply once a connection is provided by the distribution company. The authority said that the underpass is fully functional and is being used by commuters to avoid going to Rajokri in Delhi to take a U-turn to travel towards Ambience Mall and DLF Phase-3.

Saurabh Singhal, the NHAI consultant for the project, said, “The safety and movement of vehicles have been checked and now, the underpass is open for traffic. Electricity supply is being done through diesel generator sets and matter related to power connection has been taken up with DHBVN [Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam]. We have a received a proposal from the utility regarding setting up a new feeder, but we are of the view that a separate facility is not required as the load is not high,” Singhal said.

An underpass at the border has been a longstanding demand of residents and missed several deadlines, causing severe inconvenience to those wanting to move from Shankar Chowk to Ambience Mall without travelling to Delhi. It was opened for trials on October 18.

The initial deadline for the Sirhaul underpass was September 2020. Work on the underpass began on March 5, 2019; but due to a construction ban later that year due to pollution and subsequently the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the project was repeatedly delayed.

The length of the U-turn underpass is 377 metres, while the entire stretch, including access roads, is 1.5 kilometres long, including a 559-metre-long and seven-metre-wide service road. The width of the underpass is 14 metres and the vertical clearance of the tunnel is 5.5 metres. A speed limit of 40 kmph has been set in the facility.

A 455 metre-long flyover at Shankar Chowk, which was opened earlier, was also built as a part of this project, and a speed limit of 30kmph is designated for the grade-separated flyover.