Barapullah bears brunt of construction on Ashram underpass, flyover extension
Traffic Police have held several meetings with the PWD to expedite the Ashram project.
The lack of alternative routes had also added to the woes of the people. The Barapullah elevated corridor, meant to ease congestion on the Ring Road, is facing frequent traffic jams. The reason: a rush of commuters traveling from South Delhi, Gurgaon and Central Delhi to Noida and East Delhi — who usually go via the DND flyway and Ashram — switching routes to avoid traffic snarls caused by the under-construction Ashram underpass and flyover extension.
When The Indian Express drove down the corridor on Monday, it found that several other roads merge with the three-lane corridor at different points, which slows traffic down. For instance, if commuters get on to the Barapullah from INA market, they get stuck at the point where the Nizamuddin flyover merges with the corridor. Similarly, traffic is hit when the elevated corridor merges with the DND flyway.
Nearly 2.5 lakh vehicles use the Barapullah corridor, also called Baba Banda Singh Bahadur Setu, every day. More than 2 lakh vehicles a day use the DND flyway and Ashram flyover to reach Noida, Akshardham, Mayur Vihar and surrounding areas in East Delhi.
According to a senior traffic police officer, about 50-60% of vehicles that normally head to DND via Ashram, Sarai Kale Khan and Nizamuddin now take the Barapullah corridor from INA and AIIMS to escape traffic jams at Ashram Chowk. “This ‘diversion’ has added about 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh more vehicles on the Barapullah corridor, taking the current vehicle load to nearly 4 lakh,” he said.
Due to this, traffic snarls are seen even during non-peak hours.
Mohammad Azhar, who travels to Noida every day from Shaheen Bagh, said: “The fastest route is the DND flyway and Mahamaya Marg via Kalindi Kunj. But due to the ongoing construction at Ashram, I take the Barapullah from INA or AIIMS to save some time. I get stuck in traffic, but it’s far worse on Ashram.”
Ritika Sharma, who travels from INA to Noida, said, “It usually takes 35 minutes to reach Noida Sector 6 via Barapullah. Now it takes an hour…”
The closure of a three-lane portion at the Kalindi Kunj flyover near the Noida border also has vehicles heading to the Barapullah stretch.
A senior traffic police officer, who looks after the Barapullah section, said: “It has become a choke point because all vehicles coming from South Delhi, Moti Bagh, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Cantonment, Gurgaon and other areas take Barapullah to reach Noida, Sarai Kale Khan, East and Central Delhi. This corridor is a three-lane carriageway, and it gets choked when three more lanes merge with it. The Traffic Police has raised the issue with the Public Works Departments at several meetings.”
The officer added, “Personnel are deployed along the stretch to ease traffic. But congestion will continue till an alternative route is created for traffic from the Ring Road.”
Traffic Police have held several meetings with the PWD to expedite the Ashram project. “Creating an alternate lane is not easy… The PWD says work on the Ashram underpass is nearly done, but the flyover will take at least six more months. So, congestion on the Barapullah will continue till then,” said the officer.
The six-lane extension of Ashram Flyover to DND is expected to be completed by September-October this year. And the 750-metre Ashram Underpass will be completed by March and is expected to be open for the public by mid-March. “98% work on the underpass is completed. The flyover will take six-seven months. The NOC was given last September, but work was delayed again due to a construction ban. Work is on as per schedule now,” said a PWD official.
Barapullah Phase I was constructed during the Commonwealth Games and it was extended to INA from Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. Currently, the PWD is working on Phase III which will connect Mayur Vihar to Sarai Kale Khan. Work was delayed for years due to a land acquisition issue near Nizamuddin.
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