Gurgaon: Marshals deployed ahead of Signature Tower flyover to prevent ‘illegal’ U-turn

The point where some motorists had been taking the U-turn is actually meant for commuters travelling on the service lane of the e-way to get onto to the main highway.

A day after Hindustan Times highlighted how commuters were taking an ‘illegal’ U-turn on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway from a point beyond the Signature Tower flyover in a bid to avoid congestion and cut down on travel time as well as distance, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) deployed traffic marshals at the point.

Some motorists had been taking the illegal U-turn since last week the NHAI enforced route diversions at the Signature Tower junction to pave way for the construction of an underpass and also blocked off a section of the road opposite Crowne Plaza hotel.

Some motorists had been taking the illegal U-turn since last week the NHAI enforced route diversions at the Signature Tower junction to pave way for the construction of an underpass and also blocked off a section of the road opposite Crowne Plaza hotel.

The point where some motorists had been taking the U-turn is actually meant for commuters travelling on the service lane of the e-way to get onto to the main highway.

The errant motorists had put the lives of those travelling at the e-way in danger, as the latter were unaware of vehicles piling up at the stretch and attempting to take the U-turn. Apart from risking lives, the pile-up was also proving to be an obstacle to vehicles attempting to access the e-way from the service lane.

“I was relieved to learn that officials have now decided to prevent vehicles from taking the (illegal) U-turn. I twice came within a whisker of ramming a vehicle waiting to take the U-turn at the spot. I hope the officials will introduce curbs to ensure traffic order is maintained,” Saurabh Kukreja, an employee with an MNC based at Signature Tower, said.

The straight road from Maharana Pratap Chowk towards Huda City Centre Metro station and the right turn towards Jaipur were blocked in order to enable the ongoing construction. The NHAI diverted traffic through the arterial roads of Leisure Valley. However, as the road-width is significantly lower, snarls became a regular affair.

To avoid the resultant congestion and save time and distance, some commuters opted to take the illegal U-turn at the point where the flyover at Signature Tower ends.

NHAI officials said that they came to know about the ‘illegal’ U-turn after reading the Hindustan Times report and decided to deploy marshals on the spot.