Day 1 on Ashram flyover: Some hiccups but mostly smooth

The Indian Express travelled from AIIMS to the Ashram Flyover for a spot check of the stretch.

While traffic was heavy from South Extension to Lajpat Nagar flyover, commuting was smooth from Ashram flyover and it took only about five minutes to reach the DND toll booth. Overall, it took about 35 minutes to reach Ashram flyover from AIIMS.

Traffic from the DND side was affected briefly between 11.30 am to about 1 pm as the one lane was closed by the Traffic Police to install barriers to restrict the entry of heavy vehicles. This caused a jam throughout the stretch at Ashram Chowk, Nehru Nagar, Lala Lajpat Rai Marg, Andrews Ganj, Lajpat Nagar, South Extension. Several connecting roads like East of Kailash were also affected.

“Trucks are not allowed on the flyover for now as a high tension wire is passing the stretch. The lane was closed briefly because despite signages installed, trucks tried to enter the flyover. So, we installed barriers for which the flyover was closed for a few hours. Both lanes are open now,” said a senior PWD official.

Meanwhile, on the service roads, footpaths are yet to be fixed. Construction material was also found lying under the flyover and alongside the roads while signages were found hanging on a plant installed on the central verge.

“Some finishing work is left such as painting on the flyover wall, work underneath the flyover and repairing of pavements, electrical work etc. This will be completed soon. We are also planning street art on the walls,” said an official.

Commuters, meanwhile, said they were able to save time on their daily commute. “It was a smooth trip and I saved a lot of time. Earlier, it took me more than an hour to reach Noida from Lajpat Nagar,” said Prashant, a commuter.