Potholes on Delhi-Meerut Road: Officials create diversions to reduce traffic jams

The Ghaziabad authorities have created a diversion for commuters between Raj Nagar Extension and Modinagar as a major stretch of Delhi-Meerut Road that passes through Muradnagar has developed potholes.

The Ghaziabad authorities have created a diversion for commuters between Raj Nagar Extension and Modinagar as a major stretch of Delhi-Meerut Road that passes through Muradnagar has developed potholes.

Potholed roads seen at the Delhi-Meerut Road NH58, at Murad Nagar, in Ghaziabad, India, on Tuesday, September 25, 2018. (HT Photo)

The stretch was battered by rain the past couple of days, leading to formation of huge craters and resulting in long snarls. The officials said that the worst-affected stretch (nearly 3km long) in Muradnagar has thrown daily commuting out of gear.

“The condition of the road has gone from bad to worse ever since it was denotified as a national highway and declared a district road. To top it all, craters developed during the monsoon. In some places, the four-lane road has become two-laned and has been causing traffic disruptions,” Sandeep Tyagi, a commuter, said.

The diversion comprises an 18km detour between Raj Nagar Extension and Modinagar bypassing the potholed Muradnagar stretch.

However, commuters feel it is worth it.

“Instead of getting stuck at Muradnagar and losing two or three hours, it is better to spend extra fuel and reach on time,” Nishant Sinha, a resident of Nehru Nagar, said.

The four-lane Delhi-Meerut Road connects Delhi to Meerut and further to Uttarakhand; it is widely used by local commuters as well.

The officials of the public works department (PWD), which has been entrusted to maintain the road, said that the recurrent rain this season has worsened the condition of the road.

“Last week was the third time that we completed the road patchwork, but it was all for naught because of the heavy rain the past three days. We have already been sanctioned ₹17 crore for the road repair, but we are waiting for the monsoon to subside. Otherwise, the repair work will be affected,” Manish Verma, executive engineer, UP PWD, said.

“Heavy vehicles have been asked to divert their route to Pilkhuwa from the Raj Chopla intersection in Modinagar. From Pilkhuwa, they can use the NH-24 and move further to their destinations,” SN Singh, superintendent of police (traffic), said.

Likewise, heavy vehicles moving towards Meerut from Ghaziabad have been asked to divert their route towards the ALT crossing and move further to Hapur Road.

“From Hapur Road, such vehicles will move to NH-24 up to Pilkhuwa. From Pilkhuwa, they can move to Bhojpur and further towards Meerut. Light vehicles can use the two-lane Upper Ganga Canal Road to move to Jani Bridge and further to Meerut,” Singh added.

For the purpose, the traffic cops have deployed nearly 40 personnel to man the vehicular flow on the Delhi-Meerut Road.