One side of Hero Honda flyover thrown open to public

TWO YEARS AFTER CONSTRUCTION BEGINS

OVER TWO years after construction first began, one side of the Hero Honda flyover was thrown open to commuters Monday, with vehicles availing of the Jaipur-delhi stretch of the flyover in the morning.

“The decision to open the left side (towards Jaipur) of the flyover has been made with two purposes in mind. It will provide relief to commuters while also serve as an alternative so that we can block off the diversion road for traffic moving from Manesar to Delhi. The latter move will create additional space, which can then be used to accelerate construction of the remaining section of the flyover,” said Ashok Sharma, Project Head, National Highways Authority of India (NHAI).

The Hero Honda flyover is part of the state government and NHAI’S three-tier plan to ease traffic at the Hero Honda Chowk, which is a major congestion point, and was also at the core of the chaos resulting from heavy rainfall last July. The construction of the flyover had served as an impediment to the movement of rainwater into the Badshahpur drain, leading to waterlogging and massive gridlocks, that left commuters stranded for several hours.

The three-tier plan involves the construction of a four-lane underpass, the eight-lane Hero Honda flyover, and the use of existing roads.

According to officials, the flyover was originally meant to be a six-lane structure, in sync with the highway beneath it, which also has six lanes. However, foreseeing “practical problems”, an eight-lane flyover was planned instead, with four lanes on either sides.

The availability of one-side of the flyover to “lakhs of commuters” who use the expressway offers them the option of skipping the Hero Honda Chowk, and the traffic that comes with it, altogether, ensuring a quicker route towards Delhi.

The Hero Honda flyover’s construction was sanctioned to Valecha Engineering Limited in 2014, with construction beginning in February 2015. The entire project is expected to be complete by May 24, 2017, and will cost close to Rs 139 crore.

Sharma, however, said that the 1.4 kilometre-long flyover is unlikely to be complete before July, with close to 30 per cent of the work still pending.

“The flyover is 71.54 per cent complete as of now. There are several things that need to be taken care of on the stretch from Delhi to Jaipur, including pier work, storm water drainage, and casting of girders,” said Sharma, adding that the entire structure is expected to be “completed and officially inaugurated after June 30”.

Manoj Kumar The flyover was originally meant to be a six-lane structure.