Bypass e-way yet to take off, trucks hammer Delhi roads

There’s one more thing to blame if the road near your home or workplace is bad: Overloaded roads. Regular movement of these trucks is taking a toll on Delhi roads due to which they are demanding more maintenance work.

There’s one more thing to blame if the road near your home or workplace is bad: Overloaded roads. Regular movement of these trucks is taking a toll on Delhi roads due to which they are demanding more maintenance work.

HT Image

The delay in the commissioning of the Kundli-Manesar Expressway, which was to be opened way back in 2009, has worsened the situation.

In the absence of the expressway, these heavy commercial trucks enter Delhi via Gurgaon. Had it been operational, the expressway would have served as an ideal bypass for all such vehicles that which now pass through Delhi on their way to other states.

According to an estimate, more than 2,00,000 vehicles pass through Delhi despite having no business here.

“When a number of trucks are queued up to ply on a particular stretch, it leads to a lot of wear and tear. Most of the times, the road is incapable of handling such a heavy load. Moreover, trucks normally flout rules and carry excess weight than what is permissible,” said Dipak Mukherjee, former engineer-in-chief, Public Works Department.

“A number of flyovers that we maintain have been facing this problem. There is no check mechanism in place to ensure such overloaded trucks do not enter the city. Our regular maintenance work increases due to the increasing pressure on these roads,” said a senior south Delhi corporation official.