After RTR flyover inauguration in Delhi, residents anticipate the end of 20-year-old traffic jams

For over 20 years, residents of Vasant Enclave, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Nanakpura and the nearby areas have been struggling with traffic jams.

The residents of Vasant Enclave H-Block woke up on Tuesday anticipating the opening of the long delayed three-lane Rao Tula Ram(RTR) Marg flyover.

Instead of using the Outer Ring Road, commuters going towards the Airport, Gurugram or Dwarka, will be able to take the new flyover from Munirka and exit directly near Subroto Park.(Yogendra Kumar/HT File PHOTO)

Since 10.30am, when the inauguration was scheduled, neighbours crossing each other on the streets, in the local market and even while leaving for work, had just one question to ask each other, “Is the flyover open for traffic yet?” “Construction on the flyover had been going on since we moved here in 2011. It is finally over. Hopefully, the traffic will now ease in this area,” said Sujata Singh, a resident.

For over 20 years, residents of Vasant Enclave, RK Puram, Vasant Vihar, Nanakpura and the nearby areas have been struggling with traffic jams. The government’s answer was the first three-lane single-way RTR flyover that came up in 2009. It was expected to relieve some of the traffic pressure in the area. However, the flyover simply did not have the capacity to handle the traffic and aggravated the bottlenecks, making this stretch feature in the list of “most congested stretches in the city” year after year. In 2010, agencies came up with a plan to build the new flyover parallel to the existing one.

The stretch is a major link for the residents of south Delhi to reach the Airport. Traffic officials said that the new flyover will redirect the traffic volume from areas such Outer Ring Road, near the Uttara Swamimalai Temple, Outer Ring Road at the foot of the old RTR flyover, Vasant Enclave-RTR Marg intersection (below the flyover), and near Subroto Park.

Instead of using the Outer Ring Road, commuters going towards the Airport, Gurugram or Dwarka, will be able to take the new flyover from Munirka and exit directly near Subroto Park.

“The new arm of the flyover is likely to take a major traffic load away from the Outer Ring Road,” said Kannan Jagadeesan, joint commissioner of police (traffic).

Many commuters were, however, met with disappointment owing to the delay in the opening of the flyover for public.

Sudarshan, an employee of the Fiji High Commission in Vasant Vihar, said that his colleagues were waiting till 5pm to be able to use the new flyover. “There is no concept of morning or evening here. Every day, every hour is peak traffic hour. We thought we could at least use the new flyover in the evening,” he said.

“This is among the most posh colonies of the city, but the problem of traffic had become a nightmare for us,” said RK Oberoi, a resident of Vasant Vihar. The flyover was finally thrown open around 6pm.