Traffic snarl at the DND flyway due to construction work at Ashram. (Express photo by Abhinav Saha) After seven missed deadlines, the much-awaited Ashram underpass in Southeast Delhi will finally be completed by the month-end and be operational on or before March 31, said officials.
“Work on the Ashram underpass is nearly done and is on target — only the roof, ramps and finishing touches are left — and will be completed by March-end. Once it is inaugurated, commuting to Central Delhi and Faridabad will become smooth,” said a senior PWD official closely associated with the project.
Ashram Chowk, Ring Road and Mathura Road are choked for hours as a result of work on the stretch, which sees nearly 3 lakh vehicles every day. Work on the 750-metre-long underpass began in 2019 but was delayed by road closures due to the Shaheen Bagh protest and the Covid lockdown.
Extension of the six-lane Ashram Flyover to DND will take at least eight more months to be completed. It is expected to ease traffic snarls on the Sarai Kale stretch and provide a smooth commute from Noida DND till Lajpat Nagar and from Lajpat Nagar to Sarai Kale Khan.
Meanwhile, PWD officials said the 1.8-km-long Benito Juarez (BJ) Marg underpass is also nearing completion. “99% of civil work is completed and only work on the final segment of the 670-m-long skywalk is underway. It will be done in 10-15 days,” said the official.
As per the plan, the underpass will start from Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus Metro station and will split into two wings in a ‘Y’ shape. Nearly 2.5 lakh commuters will benefit from the underpass and skywalk.
Currently, people coming from Gurgaon and IGI Airport have to take the Dhaula Kuan route to reach AIIMS and Central Delhi. Once the underpass is ready, they can take the
Outer Ring Road via BJ Marg underpass to reach AIIMS and Moti Bagh. “It will ease the commute between IGI Airport, AIIMS, New Delhi and Central Delhi while the skywalk will benefit those living near DU’s South Campus and students of nearby colleges,” said a PWD official.
“The skywalk will provide a safe passage for pedestrians, and connect Durgabai metro station, Satya Niketan, JMC and Maitreyi colleges,” added the official.
The project was initiated in 2015 and civil work started in 2016 but it faced several delays. It was scheduled to be completed by January but was delayed further due to the recent construction ban following increasing pollution levels.
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