Gurgaon: Chaos reigns at IFFCO Chowk elevated U-turn

The elevated road, which was opened to traffic on a trial basis on Wednesday, was being used as a bi-directional flyover by several motorists to reach MG Road and areas around it

The elevated U-turn, constructed at Iffco Chowk to assist commuters travelling from Mehrauli-Gurgaon (MG) Road towards New Delhi, has been causing chaos and confusion at the junction as several commuters resort to using the unidirectional flyover as a bi-directional one and travel in the wrong direction to reach MG road and areas around it.

The elevated road at Iffco Chowk was closed to traffic on Sunday after the barriacade points on it were found missing and the stretch appeared to be open for use. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The flyover, which was opened to traffic on a trial basis on Wednesday, is part of a three-tier project planned by the Haryana government and the National Highways Authorities of India (NHAI) to ease traffic flow at three crucial junctions — Iffco Chowk, Rajiv Chowk and the Signature Tower junction.

Two-wheelers, three-wheelers and even heavy commercial vehicles have been operating on the flyover illegally from the Sukhrali side in order to take a ‘shortcut’ towards MG Road.

Unaware of traffic violations, several commuters claimed they came within a whisker of meeting with an accident.

“As a driver, I am aware of the need to avoid traffic violations and driving in the wrong direction on main roads. But how can someone drive in the wrong direction on a flyover? This smacks of gross negligence,” Manish Sinha, a resident of Essel Tower, said.

“I was driving on the flyover at night and an auto-rickshaw was coming from the opposite side. The headlight of the auto-rickshaw was turned off. I swayed my vehicle at the last moment to avoid a collision, which could have caused serious injuries. I am glad that I am safe, but others may not be so lucky. The authorities need to act,” Kapil Shekhawat, a resident of Sukhrali, said.

Read I Gurgaon: Elevated U-turn on Delhi-Gurgaon expressway near Ambience Mall soon

While NHAI officials said that they will depute marshals at the flyover to tackle the issue, the traffic police promised a sterner approach.

“Bi-directional driving on unidirectional flyover is a serious concern and officials have been alerted to tackle the issue and penalise those violating traffic norms. Traffic police officials will monitor the movement of vehicles on the flyover. For now, we have cautioned motorists to drive carefully on the stretch,” Simardeep Singh, DCP (traffic), said.