NEW DELHI: The resumption of traffic on the Ashram flyover and its extension proved a temporary relief. Vehicles run smoothly on the new facility but have to slow down immediately when the flyover ends when they run into merging traffic on Outer Ring Road, mostly comprising heavy vehicles that are currently not permitted on the Ashram flyover.Traffic from two stretches – one from the Sarai Kale Khan loop and the other who are driving below the flyover – merges on Outer Ring Road. On Monday, the traffic moved at snail’s pace also on the Barapullah elevated road because of a vehicle breakdown. The ripple effect was evident also on the DND Flyway. In addition to these, as anticipated by traffic police, vehicular volume was heavy both on the Sarai Kale Khan stretch and near Maharani Bagh.”Currently, there are two problems at Ashram,” said a traffic officer. “There still is voluminous traffic under the flyover consisting mostly of heavy vehicles not allowed on the flyover because of high-tension wires that haven’t yet been shifted. The other problem is heavy vehicles from Ashram going to Noida that are not allowed on the flyover breaking the barriers there.”The officer pointed out that there was heavy traffic input from Sarai Kale Khan which merged with the commercial vehicles driving below the flyover. The cars using the newly extended flyover drive into the merged traffic. As expected, traffic on the Sarai Kale Khan stretch and near Maharani Bagh will remain heavy until the loop from Sarai Kale Khan towards Ashram is opened and heavy vehicles are allowed to use the flyover. “This will easily take around a month,” said the traffic officer. “Despite the presence of a guard, heavy vehicles ram into the barrier. The high-tension wire, because of which we have stopped big vehicles from using the flyover, is a danger, but the truckers don’t seem to care.”With the Chirag Dilli flyover closed, many commuters are also crossing Ashram on their way to Faridabad and east Delhi. On Monday, motorists going from Ashram towards Sarai Kale Khan had a difficult time after a DTC bus broke down near Gurdwara Bala Sahib on Ring Road. It took two hours for the bus to be towed away.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/delhis-ashram-flyover-a-relief-but-traffic-mess-not-over-yet/articleshow/98617343.cms
