The right-turn underpass on Mehrauli-Gurugram Road was opened to traffic on Sunday. It was part of a project for the construction of flyovers and underpasses at four major intersections in the city — IFFCO Chowk, Signature Tower, Maharana Pratap Chowk and Rajiv Chowk.
Ashok Sharma, project director at the National Highways Authority of India said that 800 m-long two-lane unidirectional underpass from IFFCO Chowk metro station to Central Mall was built at the cost of ₹23 crore. It has a carriageway width of 8 metre.
The ramps are covered with poly-carbonated sheet and the underpass illuminated with the help of 150 watt LED light luminaries fixtures.
The underpass was thrown open at a low-key function by the engineers, supervisors, machinery operators and other staff of GAWAR Construction Ltd, the company that constructed the structure.
The opening of underpass, prolonged by several months due to delay in shifting of a petrol pump, would help reduce the traffic congestion on the M.G. Road. The traffic coming from the direction of IFFCO metro station can now take the underpass to turn right towards Delhi.
Earlier, this traffic had to take a left turn on hitting the M.G. Road and then take a U-turn after travelling some distance. It led to regular traffic snarls on the M.G. Road.
The opening of the two elevated U-turn flyovers has already reduced the traffic on the IFFCO Chowk, one of the busiest intersections on the Delhi-Gurugram Expressway.
Mr. Sharma said that the unidirectional flyover running parallel to the existing IFFCO Chowk flyover would also be opened by the month-end, marking the completion of the entire project.
Though most of the flyovers and underpasses, which were part of the project, were opened much before the March 31, 2019 deadline, the opening of one of the elevated flyovers on IFFCO Chowk and the right-turn underpass was delayed due to the shifting of high-tension wires and a petrol pump respectively.