New Delhi: The Punjabi Bagh flyover will be ready to be opened to the public any time after Dec 20, according to Public Works Department officials.
The flyover has trees on the divider on its carriageway from Raja Garden towards ESI hospital. Due to a lack of permission from Delhi High Court, PWD plans to open only two of the three lanes on one side. The Anand Vihar flyover, which also has trees, remains closed even after completion. However, with the Delhi assembly elections approaching, both the flyovers are likely to be opened soon.
“Our target for completion is Dec 20. After that, we plan to inform govt that the Punjabi Bagh flyover is ready to be opened to the public. Although the trees on the road divider are a problem and we are trying to find a solution, for now, we plan to barricade these and allow traffic on the other lanes,” said a Public Works Department official.
Construction of the main flyover, which spans about 1.3km and has six lanes between ESI metro station and Punjabi Bagh Club Road, is part of a larger corridor redevelopment plan. The project was initially expected to be completed by Jan this year. The deadline was then extended to April and has now been moved to Dec.
In March, one segment of the corridor was inaugurated by former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.
During peak hours, the construction work often leads to snarls on this Ring Road stretch, which carries a significant traffic load as it connects to Rohtak Road through which traffic from Haryana flows.
The construction of the flyover is expected to streamline traffic in Punjabi Bagh. The project will help connect north Delhi with south Delhi, Gurgaon and other parts of NCR. It will also save time for commuters and reduce fuel consumption. According to officials, the flyover will help reduce 1.6 lakh tonnes of carbon emissions and save 18 lakh litres of fuel annually.
The project was approved by the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre (UTTIPEC) in March 2021. When it started, PWD minister Atishi gave strict instructions to the contractor to stick to the deadline.
In 2018, under the overall decongestion plan of Delhi govt, 77 corridors were identified as traffic hotspots by six task force teams. These corridors will be decongested through road redesigning and construction of flyovers, underpasses and foot overbridges across the city. The project is part of long-term measures suggested by experts to reduce congestion and pollution in the national capital.
