In view of the re-opening of the Ashram Flyover, which was shut for the construction of a connecting road, the Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory. The Ashram flyover would re-open for commuters at 5 pm on Monday.
The Ashram flyover will re-open for commuters at 5 pm on Monday (Photo: India Today)
By India Today News Desk: Commuting between Delhi and Noida will finally become hassle-free after the Ashram flyover extension is opened to public on Monday. Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal will inaugurate the flyover extension today, which will allow motorists to bypass three traffic lights between Ashram Chowk and DND and make vehicular movement smoother.
In view of the re-opening of the Ashram Flyover, which was shut for the construction of a connecting road, the Delhi Police has issued a traffic advisory. The Ashram flyover will re-open for commuters at 5 pm on Monday.
In its advisory issued on Sunday, the Delhi Traffic Police advised commuters to plan their journey as usual and to follow the directions of its personnel posted in the area to avoid inconvenience. It said commuters using Barapulla Flyover are advised to use Ashram Flyover for the following destinations.
The 1.5-km-long Ashram flyover connects South Delhi to Noida in Uttar Pradesh. Ashram Chowk is a crucial link between south and central Delhi as well as with Faridabad. The junction links the Mathura Road and the Ring Road (connecting Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan as well as the DND flyover).
With the re-opening of the Ashram Flyover,commuters travelling on Ring Road and Mathura Road won’t face traffic jams. Huge traffic snarls were witnessed on Mathura Road, Kalindi Kunj, Sarai Kale Khan, Lajpat Nagar when the flyover was shut for construction work. It will now allow commuters a signal-free route from Ashram Chowk to DND.
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ONLY LIGHT VEHICLES ALLOWED
According to the advisory, only light vehicles coming from DND and going towards Gurugram, Chirag Delhi, Kalkaji, Khanpur, Greater Kailash, Saket, AIIMS, INA and Safdarjung are advised to take the Ashram Flyover instead of Barapulla Flyover. Only light vehicles coming from Gurugram, Chirag Delhi, Kalkaji, Khanpur, Greater Kailash, Saket, AIIMS, INA, Sadarjung and Dhaula Kuan sides and going towards Sarai Kale Khan, Gaziabad, DND, Noida and Trans-Yamuna areas area advised to take the Ashram Flyover instead of Barapulla Flyover, it said.
“Heavy vehicles such as buses, trucks, etc. still not allowed on both carriageways of Ashram Flyover till further information. Commuters coming from Sarai Kale Khan are advised not to use the Ashram Flyover,” it added.
The construction work of the flyover extension started in June 2020. The total cost of the project is Rs 128.25 crore while the total length of the flyover including the ramp is 1,425 metres. Ashram Flyover Road was closed due to the construction of a connecting road between the Ashram Flyover and New Delhi-Noida Direct (DND) Flyover.
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 told PTI.
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The project was supposed to be inaugurated on February 28, but the event was postponed. After senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia was arrested in the Delhi liquor scam case, Kailash Gahlot was handed over the additional charge of Public Works Department (PWD). Gahlot will be present at the inauguration of the flyover extension on Monday.
Work on the extension of the flyover faced delays due to the Covid-induced lockdown and has missed deadlines. Work on the flyover began in June 2020. Along with the Ashram underpass, the project for the flyover extension was approved by the Cabinet in 2019.
(With inputs from Ashutosh Kumar)
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