Traffic study in offing to integrate metro, RRTS stations at Shankar Chowk

GMRL officials said that while NCRTC has planned to construct a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station on the green belt along NH 48 on the Udyog Vihar side, their terminating station also is proposed to be built along the highway and it’s location will now be finalised after the traffic study is done

Gurugram: The Haryana government has decided to conduct a traffic impact study at Shankar Chowk since all the three metro stations of Gurugram Metro Rail Ltd (GMRL), National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) and the existing Rapid Metro station will be in close proximity, officials said.

The Haryana government has decided to conduct a traffic impact study at the busyShankar Chowk in Gurugram as part of the Gurugram Metro extension project. (HT PHOTO)

GMRL officials said that while NCRTC has planned to construct a Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) station on the green belt along NH 48 on the Udyog Vihar side, their terminating station also is proposed to be built along the highway and it’s location will now be finalised after the traffic study is done.

GMRL had earlier asked the NCRTC to finalise the location of its proposed station, so that they could freeze the alignment of their terminating station.

“The Haryana chief secretary has issued directions that a traffic impact study should be done at Shankar Chowk to understand the traffic movement, its flow and the volume of traffic. This was done after HSIIDC had raised concerns that construction of three metro stations in such close proximity would lead to heavy congestion and Shankar Chowk, which is already very congested will become choked,” said a senior GMRL official, requesting anonymity.

According to another government official, aware of the matter, the decision to hold the traffic impact study was taken in the first meeting of the high-powered committee for GMRL, which was held under the chairmanship of chief secretary, Anurag Rastogi. The committee has been formed to resolve issues such as diversion, shifting of structures along the alignment, rehabilitation of project-hit people, multi-modal integration, and other related issues requiring facilitation by the government for timely execution of the Gurugram Metro project.

The committee during the meeting noted that HSIIDC had raised objections due to potential disruptions to road traffic due to proximity of three stations and also the location of the RRTS station. “It was submitted by NCRTC that they would not be able to shift the station due to a sharp curve in the alignment. It was thereafter decided that a detailed traffic impact study should be undertaken to evaluate the concerns. It was also decided that a dedicated committee would be constituted by the chief secretary, Haryana, to examine the issue and submit its report within a month,” the senior GMRL official said.