PWD begins work on Ashram flyover extension, traffic snarls may worsen
The construction will worsen snarls on Ring Rd at Maharani Bagh and Kilokari, both about 150m away from the main Ashram intersection
Traffic snarls at Ashram Chowk, Delhi’s biggest choke point, are expected to further worsen with the Public Works Department (PWD) beginning construction work on its project to extend the Ashram flyover up to Delhi-Noida-Direct (DND) flyway.
Prolonged and haphazard construction, poor site management and extension of barricades for building a 750-metre underpass, connecting Nizamuddin Railway Bridge and the Ashram Chowk, have turned Ashram into a commuter’s nightmare.
Work on the flyover will worsen snarls on the Ring Road at Maharani Bagh and Kilokari, both about 150 metres away from the main Ashram intersection even as the PWD has asked the traffic department to chalk out a diversion for hundreds of thousands of vehicles which cross the stretch every day.
Both the underpass and the flyover extension projects are aimed at decongesting Ashram Chowk where vehicles are seen waiting for hours in traffic jams even during non-peak hours.
According to PWD officials, works such as shifting of utilities, creation of foundation to erect columns near DND, widening of road by removing pavements among others, have begun on the stretch between Maharani Bagh and the DND flyway in south Delhi. The project entails construction of a six-lane flyover from Ashram to DND with ramps for traffic from Sarai Kale Khan.
The flyover extension project aims to provide relief to daily commuters from traffic congestion by facilitating signal-free movement till Lajpat Nagar for motorists coming from Noida and till Noida and Sarai Kale Khan for commuters coming from Lajpat Nagar side.
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The proposal for extension of the flyover was approved by the Delhi Cabinet in November 2019 and its foundation stone was laid by Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in December 2019 but the work could not start due to coronavirus lockdown.
A senior PWD official, who requested not to be named, said work was to be started in 2020 only but the tendering process got delayed because of the nationwide lockdown. The official said even after the contract was allotted in June 2020, work could not start due to various reasons, including lack of workforce and shortage of material.
The official said preparatory works such as site planning, ground layout plan installation of signage indicating about the project etc had started after October. “Last month, we have started construction work. We are currently widening the road near Maharani Bagh and Kilokri by breaking footpaths to create additional space for traffic. We will barricade some portion of the main road space for construction of the flyover,” the official said.
According to the plan, the existing Ashram flyover will be extended by constructing 1.2-km-long six lane elevated road which will touch down where DND starts. Near DND the elevated road will split into two wings -- one towards the flyway and the other will go in the direction of Sarai Kale Khan.
“The construction of the flyover is likely to be completed in one-and-a-half years. Our priority is to carry out the work in such a way that motorists have to undergo minimum inconvenience,” another PWD official said.
Commuters are wary of another construction beginning near Ashram Chowk. “Traffic movement is already a mess in this part of the city and now, with the construction of the flyover beginning, it will turn worse further. The authorities should have waited a few more months more and started construction after completion of the Ashram underpass,” Kartik Kumar, a commuter and a resident of Maharani Bagh, said.
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S Velmurugan, chief scientist, traffic engineering and safety division, Central Road Research Institute, said the project will decongest the stretch between Lajpat Nagar and DND point.
“During peak hours, massive traffic jams are common on Ashram flyover, especially on the carriageway towards Sarai Kale Khan. The extension of the existing flyover will give a signal free ride to commuters towards Noida and Sarai Kale Khan. It will also help in the movement of local traffic of Kilokri and Maharani Bagh below the flyover,” Velmurugan said.
The scientist added that the PWD should have made special arrangements such as additional workforce to make up for the time loss and start the construction work early.