Repair of Lajpat Nagar flyover trigger jams
NEW DELHI : The repair work on Lajpat Nagar flyover, which developed gaps in December last year, resumed on Tuesday with the Public Works Department shutting down the second carriageway of the elevated road from Moolchand to Ashram, triggering traffic snarls on the already clogged Ring Road.
HT had on April 15 reported that the repairs on the flyover had been delayed by four months due to lack of permission from the traffic department.
On Tuesday, t he traffic department blocked movement of vehicles on the carriageway for the next 15 days. Vehicles going towards Ashram from Moolchand have now been diverted from under the flyover, which led to traffic jams.
The closure of flyover had a ripple effect on the stretch as traffic crawled on a 4-km stretch between All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and Lajpat Nagar.
“I had to reach my coaching institute in Maharani Bagh at 5.30 pm but I am already late by around an hour because of traffic jam. I boarded the bus from Moti Bagh and it usually takes 30 to 40 minutes to reach Ashram, but today (Tuesday) it moved at snail’s pace,” a student Devesh Gupta said.
The Ring Road is one of the most important arterial roads in Delhi, which carries a heavy volume of traffic. Massive traffic jam was witnessed in important areas like AIIMS, South Extension, Moolchand and Lajpat Nagar.
“The Ring Road usually remains clogged but the situation was worse today because of the closure of the flyover. Whatever the reason may be it is the common public which suffers,” said another commuter, Pradeep Teotia.
Admitting that the commuters will have to face problems, Joint commissioner of police (traffic) Garima Bhatnagar advised public to avoid the stretch.
“We have allowed the PWD to repair the gaps. There is no alternative to regulating the traffic from under the flyover. The commuters going towards Sarai Kale Khan, Mayur Vihar or Noida are advised to use Barapullah elevated road to reach their destination. Faridabad-bound commuters should use Outer Ring Road,” Bhatnagar said.
Initially, the repair work was to start from January 15 but it was postponed due to Republic Day and was rescheduled for February 1. It was delayed again because of the non-availability of an alternative route to divert commuters.
“The repairing of the gaps is important to prevent bigger problems in the future. We will use six expansion joints to fill the gaps. The work is expected to be finished in two weeks,” said a PWD official.