Sweta Goswami No end to traffic woes at busy Ashram intersection
CONGESTION The ongoing work on Ashram Metro station and later on the 750m tunnel may continue the traffic snarls for over a year
NEWDELHI: Respite from crawling traffic at the busy Ashram intersection in south Delhi is not likely anytime soon.
The much-awaited Metro station at the intersection will take over two months to open to public, according to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Soon after that, the Public Works Department (PWD) is likely to start its tunnel project at the same spot.
Construction of the Ashram Metro station — part of Delhi Metro’s Phase III’s Pink Line — has led DMRC to make road width restrictions and traffic diversions at the junction adding to the traffic snarls.
PWD officials said that work to build the 750-metre-long tunnel on Mathura Road will begin three months after the cost estimates are sanctioned by the Delhi government’s finance department.
The tunnel, once ready, will allow signal-free travel from Nizamuddin to New Friends Colony or Jamia University on Mathura Road. The cost of the project is pegged at around ₹87 crore — 80% of which will come from the Centre and 20% will be borne by the Delhi government. “Tendering process will begin after the financial approval. The project will be completed within 12 to 15 months,” a PWD official working on the project said.
Work on the tunnel will result in more barricades and diversions and hence, traffic woes are likely to continue for at least a year-and-a-half.
Commonly known as the Ashram Chowk, the intersection remains one of the most congested areas in the city with a daily traffic volume of 4.29 lakh vehicles. At present, traffic on all four roads of the intersection moves at a snail pace during peak hours on weekdays and sometimes even on weekends.
The heavy volume of vehicles has forced traffic police to deploy six personnel at this junction alone. When Hindustan Times visited the spot, it found seven traffic policemen at the intersection during off-peak afternoon hours. Additionally, there were four civil defence volunteers deputed by the DMRC for traffic regulation. With barricades still up at four points of the intersection, the DMRC said that so far, it
› The Metro station may lead to more chaos as once it is opened, the area will have to bear the extra burden of erickshaws, autos, and other lastmile modes of transport. SEWA RAM, transport expert from School of Planning and Architecture
has removed 50% of the road restrictions. “The remaining 50% barriers on the roads at Ashram Chowk will be removed by April end. All roads at the point will be cleared by then,” said a DMRC spokesperson.
However, officials working on site of the Ashram Metro station said that clearing all the barricades will take at least two more months.
Even after that DMRC will regulate traffic during night hours to put the infrastructure back in their old form. “There will be minor diversions and barricades put up at night to do road-surfacing and restore all stretches,” the spokesperson said.
The good news is that the look and experience of pedestrians at Ashram Chowk is set to improve once the Metro station is ready. “Dedicated lanes for non-motorised vehicles (NMV) will be created and there will be three dropoff bays. Right now crossing the junction on foot is a nightmare. As many as six tabletop crossings for pedestrians to cross roads will be made,” the DMRC said.
The corporation will also allow people to access the two subways built for the Metro station for free in order to cross the intersection.
Transport and road expert, Sewa Ram, of the School of Planning and Architecture said that the Metro station could lead to more chaos if NMVs are not kept under strict vigil. “Once the station is opened, the area will have to bear an extra burden of e-rickshaws, autos, and other last mile modes of transport. The police and other agencies will have to ensure that these vehicles stick only to the designated lanes and don’t spill over to the main road,” he said.