Gurgaon: Closure of under-trial underpass on Golf Course Road leads to snarls

On Tuesday afternoon, following orders from the Gurgaon police, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) had closed the underpass. It was opened to the public on a trial basis on March 10.

Gurgaon Closure of the Genpact Chowk underpass, which had resulted in bottlenecks since it was opened last week, resulted in jams on the Golf Course Road on Wednesday as commuters were unaware of the closure.

Many commuters were not aware of the closure. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

Engineering changes caught commuters unawares once again and resulted in snarls, due to confusion among commuters.

On Tuesday afternoon, following orders from the Gurgaon police, the Haryana Urban Development Authority (Huda) had closed the underpass. It was opened to the public on a trial basis on March 10.

Commuters said they were surprised to find the entrance to the underpass barricaded and had to steer their vehicles back to the main road.

“I wasn’t aware of the closure of the underpass and steered my vehicle towards it. Once I reached the point where the barricades were visible, I, along with many other commuters, found it difficult to reach the main road, which inadvertently led to snarls,” Aniket Kapoor, a resident of DLF-5, said.

Some commuters said that constant engineering changes have left them utterly confused and as a result, they are only venturing out during non-peak hours.

“Since I am on a sabbatical, I have the benefit of choosing what time I want to venture out. Yet, commuting on the Golf Course Road even during non-peak hours is difficult as I am constantly facing challenges in navigating due to constant changes to the stretch,” Disha Kohli of DLF-5 said.

The changes that the commuters are referring to include the closure of three U-turns — opposite the Magnolias residential complex, ahead of the Sector 53-54 Metro station and opposite Parsvnath Exotica — which resulted in commuters having to travel up to AIT Chowk to make a turn, resulting in snarls for over four hours on Saturday.

The U-turns were reopened again on Sunday and on Tuesday, the underpass was closed altogether.

Traffic police officers reiterated that the decision to close the underpass was necessary as some requisite engineering changes to the stretch are yet to be made.

“For reopening the underpass, officials need to complete the slip roads, install signages and also issue a public advisory. As none of these measures was taken, the underpass will remain closed,” Usha Kundu, assistant commissioner of police (traffic), said.