For lakhs of commuters shuttling between south and east Delhi, travel time will soon be slashed to 15 minutes. This will be made possible by the extension of Barapullah Elevated Road from Sarai Kale Khan to Mayur Vihar Phase I, which was green-lighted on Thursday by lieutenant Governor, Najeeb Jung.
Senior officials said that the 2.6 km extension will help those commuting to south Delhi from east to bid farewell to the perpetual traffic congestion on an otherwise busy Ring Road.
The alignment, according to senior officials, is part of the third phase of Barapullah elevated project. “With this extension, the Barapullah Elevated Road will join up with UP link road near Mayur Vihar Phase I. As part of the project, the existing single carriageway flyover along UP link Road near Mayur Vihar will be converted into a double carriageway flyover. The new flyover will be build to assist movement of traffic from Noida towards Akshardham. The alignment was sanctioned during the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre meet on Thursday,” said a senior official.
A grade separated junction will be created to ease movement in different directions. “The point on UP link road near Mayur Vihar Phase I is a T-junction, which will now be converted into a grade separated junction with the extension of Barapullah Elevated Road. Several signal-free loops will be constructed to aid movement in other directions. Traffic turning right towards Noida and NH-24, for instance. Since the entire road will be constructed on stilts, this will not upset the Yamuna banks. The extension is estimated to reduce about 70,000 vehicles on Nizamuddin Bridge, thus, decongesting it significantly,” added an official.
The decision to build the structure on stilts was taken after opposition from the Yamuna Standing Committee, prohibiting any construction on the river embankment. “Since it was decided to extend the Elevated Road on stilts, the Yamuna Standing Committee is expected to grant a formal consent soon. Once the say-so is received from Delhi Urban Arts Commission and sanctions from Delhi Government, construction work can begin by January next year. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be prepared once funds are arranged. Construction is expected to take two-and-a-half years to complete, presuming approvals come through by then,” he said.
Construction work on Phase II of the Barapullah Elevated Road is underway, which will see the corridor getting extended till INA Market. At present, the elevated road starts at Sarai Kale Khan and stretches till Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.