NEW DELHI: To decongest one of the most crucial stretches of National Highway-48 leading from Delhi to Gurugram, three entry and three exit points are being developed in three phases, officials said on Tuesday.
According to officials, the first phase was completed earlier this month, with one entry and exit point constructed near Shankar Vihar.
The second phase, which began last week, involves developing entry and exit points near the Shiv Murti and is expected to conclude by Wednesday.
The initiative follows a recent meeting between the Delhi Traffic Police and officials of the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), where heavy congestion at Shankar Vihar and the cut near Lohia Hotel was flagged. The merging of traffic at these points frequently causes long traffic snarls, with vehicles colliding and bottlenecks forming.
To address this, the NHAI was requested to shift the current exit at Shankar Vihar approximately 500 metres ahead on the service road. Similarly, the entry point near Hotel Lohia is proposed to be shifted about 200 metres before the nearby police post, with additional attention to be given to the entry and exit at the Telco point. NHAI officials said the decongestion plan would be executed in three stages. In the first phase, only one entry at Shankar Vihar and one exit at Lohia Hotel will be allowed. This phase is scheduled for completion within a week.
The second phase will begin following the completion of a tunnel at the Telco point. The third phase, to be completed within two months, will involve developing an additional entry and exit between Shankar Vihar and Lohia Hotel.
As a temporary alternative, officials have suggested that entry to Mahipalpur and Vasant Kunj be allowed only through the service road. Signage and hoardings will be installed at key locations to guide commuters, who will be diverted to the service lane from the Shankar Vihar entry point and exit at Hotel Lohia. Last month, this newspaper reported on the proposed new entry-exit arrangements at four key locations on the carriageway.