Next phase: DMRC prepares to tackle Ring Road traffic

Delhi Metro is going to start its "most challenging job" of civil construction on the busiest arterial of the Capital, Ring Road, within a week.

Delhi Metro is going to start its "most challenging job" of civil construction on the busiest arterial of the Capital, Ring Road, within a week.

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About 35km of the Ring Road falls on the Metro's proposed 59-km corridor, which is going to be the Metro's longest ever corridor.

Metro officials said work on the Ring Road, which is considered the Capital's lifeline, will be tough as it is a heavy traffic zone. The construction is a part of the 140-km long phase 3 of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Preparatory works on the stretch connecting Delhi Cantonment area with Bhikaji Cama Place started a week ago. On Thursday, DMRC occupied about two metres of the road between Brar Square and Dhaula Kuan on the Delhi Cant-Bhikaji Cama Place stretch by putting up barricades.

Delhi traffic police have also made arrangements to ensure traffic movement on the stretch is not affected in a major way.

"If we find that traffic gets affected during the trial, we may rework the traffic diversion plans," said Satyendra Garg, joint commissioner of police (traffic). Delhi traffic police had given the go-ahead to DMRC's proposed traffic diversion plans for Ring Road in April.

"Construction work will start in a few days. In three months, work on a major portion of the Ring Road will go on simultaneously," said Jitendra Tyagi, director (works), DMRC.

He said the most difficult task would be constructing Metro line above the Metro track near INA station. He said that DMRC has taken all requisite precautions to ensure minimum inconvenience of traffic during the construction works.

During construction works, traffic diversions would be imposed at Moti Bagh flyover, Maya Puri flyover, Peera Garhi and Wazirpur.

But what has eased the traffic police's tension is that, according to the diversion plan, places like Dhaula Kuan, Brar Square, Punjabi Bagh Flyover — the most congestion prone points on the Ring Road — will not be affected at all.