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Now, Jaipur-Delhi side of Hero Honda Chowk flyover to become operational by mid-March
Gurugram: The Jaipur-Delhi carriageway of Hero Honda Chowk flyover will be opened for commuters by mid-March as testing work on the repaired stretch for strength
Gurugram: The Jaipur-Delhi carriageway of Hero Honda Chowk flyover will be opened for commuters by mid-March as testing work on the repaired stretch for strength and safety is yet to be finished, officials familiar with the matter said on Tuesday.
On February 4, officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) had said that the flyover, which is being repaired since October last year, would be functional in the first week of March.
On Tuesday, the officials said that the NHAI, along with Gurugram traffic police, are planning to remove the traffic restrictions at the flyover by second week of March, which were imposed at the junction to facilitate the repair works for the flyover.
The NHAI officials said that the traffic movement was restricted to facilitate the repair work on the flyover. Ashok Sharma, project director, NHAI Gurugram, said, “The traffic movement has been altered by traffic police to facilitate repair of the flyover. After opening thereof, the plan will be restored to original. However, modification, if any suggested by the police, shall be looked into in the interest of traffic safety and convenience.”
On October 31 last year, the traffic police had closed the traffic going straight from Subhash Chowk towards Sector 10, above the underpass and from Sector 10 straight towards Subhash Chowk.
Azad Singh of Traffic Police Station-1, said, “With the restrictions in place, commuters who want to go towards Subhash Chowk from Sector 10, have to travel below the flyover and use the underpass. Right turn above the flyover was closed to facilitate the repair works, so commuters have to take the underpass and then a U-turn to take the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway.”
The traffic police admitted that every evening congestion was mostly seen on the left turn at this junction with many vehicles going towards Delhi.
NHAI contractor said that the testing work will take around 10 days. “We have started with the testing of the flyover. In the next 8-10 days, the testing will be complete and the report will go to NHAI,” said Rakesh Mathur, deputy manager of Valecha Engineering Ltd, contractor for the project.
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) had put new traffic lights at Hero Honda Chowk four months ago in a bid to ease out traffic flow at the junction. The traffic signals were not put in use since they were installed.
Manvender Singh, assistant sub-inspector who is stationed at Hero Honda Chowk, said, “Traffic lights will be switched on as soon as the flyover becomes operational. We have deliberately switched off the lights presently, as this would lead to more chaos at this junction.”
The highways authority will also open the U-turns which have been closed for traffic movement. In October last year, NHAI and Gurugram traffic police had closed two U-turns at this junction — both coming from Kherki Daula and going towards Gurugram. “Once the flyover opens, we will start the U-turns like before. This will ease out traffic snarls at Kherki Daula toll plaza. Trucks and cars who want to take a U-turn before the toll can do so too at Hero Honda Chowk, and there will be less vehicle pressure at Kherki Daula toll plaza,” said Singh.
On May 8 last year, a large chunk of concrete fell off the surface of the flyover causing a hole on the road. Around 15 metres of the Jaipur-Delhi side has been laid again. The contractor for the project said that it has cost them around ₹1 crore in repairs since the concrete fell off last year. It was the second time that a slab had cracked off the same portion, with the first being in April 2018.
The eight-lane, 1.4-kilometre flyover was constructed as part of a three-layer crossing — flyover, underpass and surface roads — at Hero Honda Chowk. The construction of the ₹197.84-crore project began in November 2014 and it was opened to the public in 2017.
