NEW DELHI: The commute between the satellite towns of Noida, Ghaziabad and South Delhi is expected to get smoother on Monday with the inauguration of the Ashram Extension flyover. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inaugurate the flyover extension, which will allow motorists to bypass three traffic lights between Ashram Chowk and DND and make vehicular movement smoother. The project was supposed to be inaugurated on February 28, but the event was postponed.
However, heavy vehicles like trucks and lorries will have to wait for a little longer before plying on the new flyover. Besides, the vehicles may only be allowed to ply during the daytime since the six-lane ramp remains to be fitted with lights. Officials said that the electric work will take a few weeks more to be fixed and until then, entry to the extended flyover will not be allowed at night.
According to officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), traffic for small vehicles will be allowed to pass on the elevated structure as a few adjustments on the flyover are still underway. “There are electric poles on the roadside near Kilokari village which is adjacent to the flyover. Till the poles are not shifted, big vehicles will not be able to pass through the flyover,” a senior official said.
The officials are hopeful that the 1.5-kilometre-long elevated structure will ensure vehicles travelling from Noida and Ghaziabad to South Delhi are presently forced to grapple with congestion while travelling from the DND loop to the Ashram intersection. At present, traffic jams are witnessed from the DND loop to the Ashram intersection. Vehicles now have to take a long route to cross the road from Kilokari, but soon, 150 meters away from Kilokari to Ring Road, drivers will be able to cross the road by taking a U-turn to reach Maharani Bagh or south Delhi, officials said.
Similarly, vehicles going from Maharani Bagh to Sarai Kale Khan, Noida, ITO and Ghaziabad will not have to take long detours. A subway for pedestrians is also being constructed here, they added. The flyover is finally ready with an excess cost of Rs 13.75 crores incurred on its construction. The work on the six-lane ramp started in June 2020 with a deadline of May 2021. The city government had claimed disruption led by Covid-19 as the reason behind the delay.
Commute to get smoother
The extended flyover will connect the Ashram flyover to DND and Sarai Kale Khan bypassing three red lights on the route
No heavy vehicles and night time traffic allowed.
LED lights and artwork on the flyover are yet to be finished
The total sanctioned cost was Rs 128.25 crore while the final expenditure was Rs 142.5 crore.
The extension missed multiple deadlines. The original deadline was May 2021