GURUGRAM: The much-awaited Ambience Mall U-turn underpass on the Delhi-Gurugram expressway is likely to be thrown open to the public in March. The temporary shifting of lanes at Sirhaul toll plaza to facilitate work on the underpass will begin next week, after a delay of nearly one year. The underpass is expected to be completed by March 15, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has said.
Three toll lanes under the South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC) fall in the alignment of the underpass being constructed near Ambience Mall on the expressway. The lanes are expected to be dismantled and shifted within 10 days, after which work on the box structure of the underpass will commence.
The development comes after NHAI evaluated and approved the cost estimate of Rs 46 lakh raised by the SDMC for the shifting for toll lanes 4,5 and 6 earlier this month. SDMC had submitted the estimate after a delay of over one year. NHAI had then sent the estimate to its authority engineer for evaluation and feasibility assessment. The cost estimate has now been cleared by the highways authority and SDMC has been requested to begin the shifting process.
“We have approved the cost estimate submitted by SDMC. Shifting of the lanes at Sirhaul toll plaza is likely to begin next week. It shouldn’t take more than 10 days for the shifting to be completed. Once that is done, work on the box structure of the underpass will begin. We expect the work to be completed by March,” said NHAI project director Shashi Bhushan.
The project is almost 80% complete and only the work on the box structure was stuck as the three lanes were coming in the alignment of the underpass on the Delhi-Gurugram side of the expressway. These toll lanes are to be temporarily shifted further towards the Delhi side.
Once done, the project contractor will begin the pending work on the box structure that is to come right under the area where the toll gates currently stand. While the lane shifting work will be carried out by SDMC, NHAI will look after civil engineering work for the restoration of toll gates after completion of the underpass.
“As per the agreement that we have arrived at, SDMC would look after the temporary shifting of the lanes. Once the underpass is ready, we’ll take care of the civil engineering work required to restore the toll lanes that were impacted,” Bhushan added.
The highways authority and its contractor have claimed that the shifting of the lanes has been delayed due to bureaucratic hurdles and the U-turn taken by SDMC on its previous commitment of facilitating the shifting.
NHAI had started pursuing the matter in December 2019 and SDMC had committed to cooperate, officials said. While initially the matter was held up due to the wait for environmental clearance by the Environment Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority, after its dissolution, SDMC dragged its feet on providing cost estimates to NHAI, they said.