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New skywalk, widening of roads: How Delhi plans to decongest Sarai Kale Khan
Sarai Kale Khan is one of the congestion hotspots in the city that sees massive traffic on weekdays, especially during rush hours.
The ever-so traffic struck Nizamuudin-Sarai Kale Khan transit hub in New Delhi may soon see even more vehicles plying on it due to operationalisation of Delhi-Dehradun Expressway and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. Anticipating a major influx of traffic, authorities are working on measures to ease movement and decongest the corridor.
Sarai Kale Khan is one of the congestion hotspots in the city that sees massive traffic on weekdays, especially during rush hours.
A CNG station adjacent to ISBT entry road from Ring Road is where lots of vehicles line up for refuelling, further crowding the area nearby. To tackle the problem ahead of more influx expected on the transit hub, several government agencies have charted a plan.
Here are some key plans:
Remodelling of fuel station: Since the overcrowding of vehicles at the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) fuel station poses a problem, it will be remodelled, a government official said during a recent review meeting to devise measures. "After the remodelling, the station will have the capacity to refuel 26 vehicles simultaneously through 13 fast-fill dispensers. Each dispenser is designed for a dispensing rate of 15 kg/min for cars, and 75 kg/min for buses. This will ensure faster turnaround and reduced congestion within the station,” official said.
Widening of roads: To further mitigate congestion better, the roads along the Sarai Kale Khan stretch adjacent to the ISBT plot will be expanded to 30-meter-wide corridors. The project also includes widening the roads along the Barapullah drain as well as the connecting bridge.
Construction of skywalk: The skywalk connecting the RRTS station to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station will be ready in six to eight months. However, the PWD is currently not planning to extend the Ring Road flyover to the Barapullah corridor and is instead looking at other ways to reduce traffic.
These decongestion plans for the transit hub were discussed at a review meeting attended by several agencies, including DDA, MCD, PWD, Traffic Police, L&DO, Railways, DUSIB, IGL, DMRC, NIUA, and the transport department.
(With inputs from HT correspondent)
