Ushaped pillars will allow easy ride under RTR flyover
FASTER COMMUTE Design change will help decongest traffic in the busy area giving faster access to the airport
The Delhi government has found a unique solution to decongest the choked Rao Tula Ram Marg, a key road to the IGI airport. For the first time in the city, a portal flyover is being constructed to allow four-lane traffic movement below the three-lane flyover.
A study by the School of Planning and Architecture on ‘accessibility to airports’ recently said reaching Delhi airport is far more difficult compared to other cities.
In Delhi, flyovers are constructed with pillars in between the road, which take a lot of space.
In the portal flyover type, pillars are built at the two end of the road so that traffic below it can move easily.
“We are doing this as the area is congested and a three-lane flyover will not solve the problem. While one pillar will be on the footpath, the other one will be on the divider, making an entry that looks like a flipped U. The traffic bound for the airport from south Delhi will have a seven-lane road and 15 minutes of travel time will be saved,” said a Public Works Department (PWD) official.
The PWD is constructing the flyover and racing against time to meet the deadline of June 2018. The new flyover parallel to the existing Rao Tula Ram (RTR) will be longer than the existing one.
The 2.7-km-long flyover will start from the existing Palam flyover and will take the commuters till the Army base, where the flyover connecting NH-8 starts.
“Despite being on the footpath, the pillar will leave space for pedestrians. There will be space for non-motorised vehicles also. Since the flyover starts from the middle of an existing flyover, there is no need for a ramp. At the end, there will be a ramp so that commuters can merge with the NH-8,” the official said.
The new flyover and road below it will be for the airportbound traffic while the existing one and road below it will be for the commuters coming from the airport. Currently, the existing flyover is used for two-way traffic, leading to congestion.
The Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre, the agency entrusted with the responsibility to approve projects related to road and transport infrastructure for Delhi, had approved the PWD’s plan to construct an elevated road between Munirka flyover and Subroto Park in 2014.
Ahead of the Commonwealth Games in 2010, PWD built three flyovers between IIT Gate and NH-8 along the Outer Ring Road to make the stretch signal-free. Ever since it opened in 2009, the RTR flyover in south Delhi has been a nightmare for motorists.
While the first two flyovers near IIT Gate and Munirka have dual carriageways, the narrow and single carriageway RTR flyover becomes a bottleneck.
The authorities have taken various measures to ensure a smooth access to the airport. While the Delhi Development Authority is studying the possibility of providing direct access to the airport from central Delhi, the National Highways Authority of India plans to construct two underpasses and two flyovers between Dhaula Kuan and NH-8.
Despite being on the footpath, the pillar will leave space for pedestrians.