NEW DELHI: Launched earlier this week with much fanfare, the Barapullah Phase III elevated corridor was expected to cut travel time between Mayur Vihar and south Delhi by 15 to 20 minutes. But the nearly 10.9-km Barapullah flyover—hailed as a bridge between east and south Delhi, ensuring signal-free connectivity—has witnessed long traffic snarls since it was thrown open to the public on Wednesday, just a day after its inauguration.
The corridor connecting Mayur Vihar Phase 1 through Sarai Kale Khan to south Delhi and the AIIMS area reportedly saw around three to four km-long traffic snarls on the very first day, causing long delays.
The major congestion was reported at the merging point on the loop near Sundial at Sarai Kale Khan, where multiple streams of traffic converged. The existing stretch from Mayur Vihar up to the merging point witnessed heavy traffic during peak hours, prompting traffic police to temporarily close the stretch towards Mayur Vihar and divert vehicular movement to ease the congestion and regulate traffic flow.
Following reports of traffic snarls, senior officials of the Delhi Traffic Police, along with officials from the Public Works Department (PWD), conducted a joint aerial survey with drones on Thursday to assess the situation on the newly opened stretch and adjoining roads. The Barapullah Phase 3 flyover, connecting Mayur Vihar with the existing Barapullah corridor, has witnessed a very high volume of traffic, resulting in congestion, police say. They noted that the issue is particularly pronounced at the merging point near the Sundial.
The inspection observed that the merger of the Phase-III flyover with the existing Barapullah corridor near Sundial has a relatively sharp or rectangular geometry, resulting in an abrupt merging of traffic and the formation of a bottleneck.
“There is a significant mismatch in lane capacity at the merging point, with multiple streams of traffic converging towards the existing Barapullah flyover, which has comparatively limited lane capacity. The newly opened corridor is attracting substantial traffic that would otherwise use NH-24 and DND, thereby increasing the traffic load on the Barapullah corridor,” the inspection found.
Traffic police officers have taken up the matter with the agencies concerned and proposed modification of the merger geometry near Sundial by providing a smoother curvature for safer and more efficient merging of traffic. The matter has been taken up with the PWD for corrective action.
It has also proposed installing appropriate traffic control measures and signals at suitable merging points to regulate traffic inflow and prevent excessive accumulation.
Among the other measures being considered is the updation of traffic and navigation information of the newly opened Phase-III flyover with Google so that commuters receive accurate and real-time traffic information. It would facilitate the regulation or diversion of traffic towards NH-24, wherever feasible, to reduce excessive traffic pressure on the existing Barapullah corridor.
The Delhi Traffic Police is monitoring the traffic situation at the location and is coordinating with the agencies concerned to address the identified infrastructural and traffic-management issues, it said.
The project was originally scheduled for completion in 2017, but it faced multiple delays, pushing cost upwards.
Changes proposed
An inspection found that the merger of the Phase III flyover with the existing Barapullah corridor near Sundial has a relatively sharp or rectangular geometry, resulting in an abrupt merging of traffic and the formation of a bottleneck. Traffic police officers have taken up the matter with the agencies concerned and proposed modification of the merger geometry.