Gap develops on Lajpat Nagar flyover in Delhi, authorities say don’t panic

The repairs will be carried out from January 2 during which traffic on one side will be diverted under the Ashram-Lajpat Nagar flyover and the gaps will be filled with joints brought in from Bhopal.

New Delhi

The 6-8 inch gap appeared between two girders at Ashram-Lajpat Nagar Flyover in New Delhi. (Sanchit Khanna/HT Photo)

Brace for heavier traffic snarls in the New Year on the already clogged Ring Road as traffic movement will remain restricted for around a month due to repair of the Ashram-Lajpat Nagar flyover.

An 8-10 inches wide and around 10 feet long gap has developed between one of the five girders at the flyover on Wednesday, raising safety concerns among commuters. On Thursday, Delhi Traffic Police advised the two-wheeler riders to avoid the flyover because of the big gap in the joints. Later in the day, repairs were ordered.

One carriageway will be closed for traffic from January 1 till the repair is complete.

“As one of the carriageways of the flyover will remain closed, traffic going towards Lajpat Nagar flyover towards Ashram will take the adjoining road at the ground level,” traffic advisory said.

“There will be congestion on the adjoining roads due to this repair work. To avoid congestion and delays, the commuters are advised to take Mathura Road, Ashram Chowk, Ring Road, Moolchand flyover or Lodhi Road, Bhishm Pitamah Marg while commuting from south Delhi to central Delhi and vice versa,” it said.

Officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), who will carry out repairs, said there is no need to panic as the gap is a result of natural contraction of girders and will be fixed soon through special joints (expansion joints) brought in from Bhopal.

“Every flyover has such joints between two girders supported by pillars. In summers, these girders expand while during winters they shrink. So, this is a case of shrinking of girders and its repairing will start from January 2,” a PWD official told Hindustan Times.

Ring Road is one of the most important arterial roads in Delhi, which carries a heavy volume of traffic. The affected stretch of the Ring Road passes through several important areas like Lajpat Nagar, Moolchand, South Extension and witnesses heavy traffic.

PWD officials said that for the last two months they were requesting traffic department to permit them to carry out repair works and divert traffic but there was no positive response.

On Thursday, traffic moved at snail’s pace on the flyover due to the gap. The commuters raised safety concerns and criticised the authorities for the neglect.

“This is sheer neglect on part of the Delhi government. This is not a normal gap as it is big enough for a two-wheeler rider to fall down, if the wheel gets stuck in it,” a commuter, Aditya Gupta, told Hindustan Times.

Engineers said the girders made of RCC normally contract during winters and expansion joints are used to fill the resultant gaps. The officials added that it normally takes 15 days to fix the gap, during which traffic will be operated through the other carriageway.

Gaps had surfaced on the same flyover last year too but they were fixed temporarily through steel plates. For a lasting solution of the problem, the gap has to be fixed through expansion joints, which takes time.

PWD officials said that almost a similar situation prevailed at Shahdara flyover in east Delhi.

“For last several months, we are waiting for traffic department’s approval to repair the joints there,” he said.

On December 11, 2017, the Delhi government had approved a project to carpet the 5km stretch of the Ring Road between All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Ashram with layers of asphalt. The project will be taken up by the Public Works Department with an expenditure of Rs 15 crore.