At Dwarka underpass, a road narrowly missed

It may have been envisaged to ease traffic chaos but the newly opened Dwarka Underpass, built at a cost of R100 crore, is adding to motorists' confusion.

It may have been envisaged to ease traffic chaos but the newly opened Dwarka Underpass, built at a cost of R100 crore, is adding to motorists' confusion.

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Due to lack of signage, commuters going towards Dwarka from the domestic airport flyover usually miss the underpass and then come back on the same stretch, leading to chaos.

The Delhi Development Authority (DDA) has recently constructed a 520-metre-long underpass at the Dwarka roundabout, near the domestic terminal of the Indira Gandhi International airport, to ease traffic congestion as vehicles bound towards Dwarka and those coming from the domestic airport would clash with each other.

With the underpass in place, Dwarka-bound traffic now has a segregated route but not many use it due to lack of information and continue to head towards the domestic terminal. DDA officials say they will be installing signage now.

"We will be installing signages on the airport flyover to ensure people don't face any inconvenience," said a senior DDA official.

From the airport flyover itself, motorists who are supposed to go to Dwarka are supposed to be on the left side

of the carriageway to ensure they don't miss the Dwarka underpass.

But there are no signs on the airport flyover to inform motorists that a new underpass is functional.

"Till we get down from the airport flyover, we are not even aware that there is an underpass. The moment we get down from the flyover, a sign informs us that there is an underpass to the left but the reaction time left is so little that we have no option but to go straight," said Sekhar Tomar, a motorist.

"We then have to go back on the same stretch to use the underpass. It can lead to accidents," Tomar added.

The traffic police are now going to take up the matter with DDA. "We will impress upon DDA to install signs on the airport flyover and near the underpass so that it is visible from afar. We will also be writing to DDA about it," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic).