NEW DELHI: If you use the Ashram flyover to commute between south Delhi, east Delhi, Noida and Ghaziabad, you need to brace for major traffic congestion for at least one and a half months. The PWD of the Delhi government is gearing up to start work on integrating the flyover with the upcoming one ahead of it from next week by stopping traffic on both the carriageways.According to officials, the Delhi traffic police has granted approval for temporarily closing down the flyover. The work is likely to start any day after December 25 and may continue till the second week of February 2023. Though traffic will be allowed to move on the slip roads, the closure of the flyover will have a major impact on traffic moving between east Delhi, Noida, south Delhi and the airport. Traffic officials say at least 3-4 lakh vehicles pass through the Ashram intersection daily with the peak hours causing major congestion. Once the flyover is closed, the volume of traffic on Barapullah flyover, Kalindi Kunj, Mathura Road and ITO will go up dramatically.A PWD official told TOI that they held a meeting with traffic police recently.Plenty to worry about before you reap benefits of Ashram Flyover extensionPWD has been granted permission by the Delhi traffic police to close Ashram flyover for 45 days to begin work on the DND Flyway link. “They have allowed us to close the flyover and it will happen anytime between December 25 and 31,” said a PWD official. Senior traffic police officials confirmed that they have given the nod for the flyover to remain closed for 45 days. Even with the flyover open, there is major congestion on this route. “The main issue is that a lot of heavy vehicles — DTC buses during the day and other heavy vehicles as well when no-entry is lifted — ply on this road. This is anyway a major bottleneck which is all set to get worse. Another issue is that if a DTC bus breaks down, it cannot be lifted by using a hydraulic crane and it takes a couple of hours for the mechanic to reach the spot. That can really add to traffic woes,” said a traffic official. The PWD has been working on extending the flyover and linking it with the DelhiNoida Direct Flyway for the past few years and now the final integration work has to happen. The officials are confident of completing the work by the end of January, having missed a November deadline. Meanwhile, traffic on Ring Road has been getting worse with each passing day, and the poor road conditions, primarily because of the construction work, forces the traffic to slow down. “I believe it will take at least two months for the integration work to be completed. Though it will create problems for the traffic, there is no other way,” said S Velmurugan, chief scientist, traffic engineering and safety, Central Road Research Institute. The Delhi government had completed constructing the underpass at the Ashram intersection earlier this year. The traffic police said they are in touch with the nodal agency and are discussing steps that can be taken to ease the traffic flow. The traffic police has suggested re-carpeting of the roads on either side of the Ashram flyover. “We can’t increase the width of the road but carpeting it would make the movement of vehicles smoother,” the official added. Some other measures are also being discussed.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/brace-for-chaos-till-february-as-delhis-ashram-flyover-to-be-closed-for-major-work/articleshow/96382001.cms
