Closure of carriageways slows traffic between Dhaula Kuan & Gurugram
The closure of a stretch of the Delhi-Jaipur Highway between Rangpuri and Rajokri triggered excruciating traffic jams throughout Tuesday
Traffic moved slowly between Dhaula Kuan and Gurugram on Wednesday morning a day after the closure of a stretch on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway between Rangpuri and Rajokri triggered excruciating traffic jams throughout the day.
The closure of the stretch for 90 days for the construction of two underpasses and a flyover as part of the alternative route to connect Delhi and Gurugram compounded the jams the earlier shutdown of one side of the Chirag Delhi flyover caused.
The two stretches are part of crucial routes that connect the airport to south Delhi. Their closures are expected to overlap for at least another 50 days.
The flow of traffic to Delhi from Gurugram was normal as many commuters switched to alternative routes during the morning rush hour. Police said special teams were deployed to ensure smooth traffic movement and they did not receive any complaints.
Initially, one Delhi-Gurugram carriageway was closed before both carriageways were shut later on Tuesday.
Anand Oberoi, a Gurugram resident, said he took MG Road to avoid traffic congestion on the highway on Tuesday and it hardly took him half an hour to reach RK Puram. “On Tuesday, it took me two hours. So I decided to take this route and started early to escape getting stuck.”
Sunil Yadav, a daily commuter to Connaught Place, said he started early to avoid congestion. “We are a group of four people who drive to Delhi for work. After we got stuck for over two hours on Tuesday, we planned to change our timing and luckily found no jam.”
Police said many commuters travelled via Kapashera and MG Road, which resulted in a low volume of traffic.
Gurugram’s deputy police commissioner (traffic) Virender Singh Sangwan said they were ready with an advisory and plan in case the diversion impacted traffic movement. “No complaints have been reported since morning and teams are deployed.”
Sangwan said their teams on MG Road and in Kapashera have been directed to send videos and pictures after every 15 minutes during peak hours.
The Delhi Police said the traffic has been moving at a slow pace but no jams were being reported. They said the congestion of vehicles was because of the narrow space on the service roads.
“The major problem is at the diversion points...vehicles coming from at least 21 metre wide road suddenly have to enter into a 16 metre wide road. This is causing a bottleneck...We have deployed traffic personnel to manage the flow of traffic,” said Delhi’s deputy police commissioner (traffic) Aalap Patel.
Police have been issuing advisories urging commuters to use alternate routes and plan their journeys in advance to avoid getting caught up in traffic.
