At Outer Ring Road on Saturday. (Express photo by Praveen Khanna)In a bid to decongest the Outer Ring Road area near Mukarba Chowk, the Public Works Department (PWD) is planning to construct three underpasses in the area as well as a ramp from Badli junction to Haiderpur Metro station.
“Currently, at the Mukarba Chowk junction and Haiderpur Metro station, traffic remains heavy throughout the day as the section comes under the Outer Ring Road and on the Delhi-Haryana border, with vehicles from Delhi and nearby areas using the road in large numbers. With the construction of these underpasses, congestion will reduce. It will also facilitate a smooth commute for people travelling to and from Rohini, Wazirabad, Azadpur market and Transport Nagar,” he said.
The underpasses will come up between Badli Mor towards the drain; Shalimar Bagh road (Max Wali road) to Kanishka Apartments turn; and from Kanishka Apartments to
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Max wali road. The third underpass will be for non-motorised vehicles.
“Two underpasses are for motorised vehicles and one for non-motorised vehicles such as cycles, e-rickshaws and pedestrians,” said the official.
The two-lane underpasses will be 50 metres long and 7.5 metres wide. It will also have 2.1-metre-wide footpaths. The road for non-motorised vehicles will be 5.5 metres wide and will have a footpath.
The department will also construct footpaths, a drainage system, carry out landscaping, and install road signages and safety fixtures. The total cost of the project is estimated to be Rs 54 crore.
The proposal was approved by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre (UTTIPEC) in 2016.
“The project was to start in 2020 but was delayed by the Covid-19 pandemic and financial approvals. It is on track now and tenders have been floated for construction of the underpasses using box-pushing technology,” said a senior PWD official.
Under the box-pushing technology, the box segments are pushed with the help of hydraulic jacks installed at the rear end of the segment. The jacking reaction is obtained from the pocket provided in the thrust bed and rear wall. The technique has been used to create underground space primarily for rails and roads, car parking, water pipelines, drainage, and pedestrian access.
The PWD is also planning to construct a three-lane elevated ramp alongside the Mukarba Chowk flyover to provide smooth connectivity to National Highway-44, and Karnal in Haryana. This proposal will soon be submitted to UTTIPEC for approval.
Pre-construction work on the underpasses, such as site mapping, soil investigation, and topographical survey, has begun. Tenders have been floated and work is expected to start by July-August and the tentative deadline is September 2023.
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