The 1.2-km, six-lane flyover, which was supposed to be completed by March this year, is now expected to be finished by August. (File) After missing several deadlines and facing delays due to the lockdown, construction work on the extension of the Ashram flyover to the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) expressway has picked up the pace. The 1.2-km, six-lane flyover, which was supposed to be completed by March this year, is now expected to be finished by August.
The project was approved in the cabinet along with the proposal to construct the Ashram underpass in 2019, and a foundation stone was laid in December of the same year. But work was delayed due to the Covid outbreak and also because the traffic police did not give a no-objection certificate (NOC).
“Preliminary work started in February last year but was delayed again due to the second wave and lockdown. Now, work on the central portion has just begun after we received the NOC for phase 2, which was issued by the traffic police in September 2021,” said a senior PWD official.
“The widening of the road has almost been completed. Earlier, traffic police had denied the NOC after ongoing construction work on the Ashram underpass caused heavy traffic snarls at Ashram Chowk, Ring Road to Mathura Road, Sarai Kale Khan and Maharani Bagh. They wanted the underpass to be finished first. The NOC was given in September and the flyover was scheduled to be ready by March 2022, but it was delayed again due to a construction ban. Work is in full swing now and will be completed by August 2022,” said the official.
The flyover from Ashram to DND flyway has ramps for traffic coming from Sarai Kale Khan and will provide smooth and signal-free commuting from the DND expressway till Lajpat Nagar as well as from Lajpat Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan.
The PWD official added, “We are executing the work carefully keeping in mind the convenience of commuters who are already facing problems on this stretch. The department is working at full speed to at least complete the Ashram underpass so traffic will be smooth; work will speed up on the flyover too.”
Officials added that about 3-4 lakh commuters will benefit when work on the 750-metre-long underpass will be completed by the end of February. It will be opened to the public in the first week of March, if Covid cases are under control, said officials.
“Work on the Ashram underpass is going as per the schedule and will not be delayed. The DTL cable line has also been removed and slabs and structures have been constructed. The wall and covering of the remaining portion of the underpass will be completed in the next five days. After this, only flooring and some final touches are left. So, 99% work is done and will be completed by February-end. After that, the government has to give its approval and it will be inaugurated in the first week of March,” said the official.
At the moment, traffic to and from Sarai Ķale Khan, DND, Bhogal, Badarpur, Mathura Road and Outer Ring Road is hit on the stretch. Due to route diversions and to avoid traffic on the main road, commuters take inner roads of residential areas such as Siddharth Extension, Kalindi Colony, Amar Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Ashram, Kilokri Village, New Friends Colony, Nehru Nagar and Sunlight Colony, often inconveniencing residents.
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