NEW DELHI: The extension of Ashram flyover in south Delhi was inaugurated, after missing out on several due dates, by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Monday.
Though the facility guarantees to alleviate automobile motion between Noida and south Delhi, the traffic authorities are apprehensive of the automobile choke point now moving to Sarai Kale Khan.The Ring Road near Sarai Kale Khan inter-state bus terminal sees rush hour throughout the day.
With the flyover extension now providing a fast approach to east and north Delhi from south of the city, the stretch may give in the added load and the work going on to develop the area as a transport hub.Ongoing construction of the Delhi-Meerut Regional Rapid Transit System and a parallel flyover have already made Sarai Kale Khan a traffic chicken neck aggravated by various buses going into and leaving the bus terminal.
Pedestrians, amongst them building employees, regularly cross Ring Road, even more slowing traffic.
Fast-moving vehicles on the new flyover, heavy cars on Ring Road and traffic coming from AIIMS on Barapullah elevated roadway all merge at the same point, mentioned a traffic officer.
So, traffic is going to remain heavy at Sarai Kale Khan all the time.
Flyover Out Of Bounds For Heavy VehiclesThe 1.4 km extension of the existing flyover at Ashram, which took 32 months to finish and cost Rs 128 crore, will offer a direct route between the DND Flyway and AIIMS.
A minimum of 3.5 lakh vehicles travel through Ashram every day.
On Monday, PWD opened the primary extension road and the carriageway going towards Sarai Kale Khan, though the ramp in between Sarai Kale Khan and Ashram is still under construction and might take over a month to complete.
Heavy cars will not be permitted yet on the new flyover because of the presence of high-tension electricity wires passing above.According to PWD officials, the high-tension wires hang above the two main ramps and might show unsafe for heavy automobiles passing below.
The agency has actually not yet asked Delhi Transco Limited to move the high-tension wires.
PWD engineer-in-chief Anant Kumar stated another organisation had to remove the wires.
But we ourselves have actually carried out the job and wish to have done it by the end of this month.
After that, heavy vehicles will likewise be allowed to drive on the flyover, stated Kumar.At the inauguration, Kejriwal said there utilized to be long traffic jams in this area previously, particularly during the office hours, and the extension of the flyover would bring relief to the lakhs of vehicle drivers who use the path every day.
The CM included that just a few minor tasks were left to be completed before the flyover ended up being completely operational.Soon after the inauguration function got over, traffic was allowed from the DND Flyway towards Lajpat Nagar.
The second ramp was opened around 5pm, the traffic authoritiess advisory said.Some other works that remain to be finished consisted of the building and construction of the central edge near the combination of the extension with the existing flyover, setup of roadway signage and the construction of the ramp for traffic originating from Sarai Kale Khan and bound for Ashram.The erection of the RRTS piers at Sarai Kale Khan will take 3 more months, while deal with the parallel flyover will only begin at 2023-end.
Till all building work is completed, the smotorists can not expect the traffic motion to alleviate here, said an officer of the Delhi traffic authorities.