New Delhi: Ashram and its adjoining areas will soon be freed from traffic jams by the Delhi Government led by CM Arvind Kejriwal. The extension work of the Ashram flyover being undertaken will be completed by November. Using this flyover will allow passengers to bypass 3 traffic lights between Ashram Chowk and DND, making vehicular movement smoother. On Saturday, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia conducted an on sight inspection to assess the progress of construction works. He instructed the engineers to install additional cranes and double the speed of work, so that people are relieved from vehicular traffic in the area as soon as possible. Manish Sisodia said that it was a herculean task to build a flyover in the middle of such a busy road but the PWD engineers undertook the challenge and delivered. He said that the Ashram flyover extension will be dedicated to the public for their use once the construction work is completed. After the completion of this flyover, lakhs of people commuting from Noida and other parts of Delhi to South Delhi will get rid of traffic jams.

During the inspection, the engineers told the Dy CM that the vehicular load on this road is very high, due to which they have to face several challenges during construction. Engineers said that all the pillars for the flyover have been erected, and now, work is ongoing to put girders on them using large cranes. These cranes require a lot of space to function and this is possible only when the road is closed. In such a situation, due to heavy traffic throughout the day, the traffic police has permitted construction work only from midnight to 5 AM. If there is an increase in the traffic during this time, the construction work is put on halt by the Traffic Police.

Engineers said that a total of 146 girders are to be installed on the existing pillars here, but due to the existing challenges, hardly 2-3 girders are installed in a day. Till now, a total of 56 girders have been placed, with 90 girders pending installation.

Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia instructed the PWD officials that additional cranes must be installed to expedite the construction work and the work of laying the girders should be done at double speed. The flyover extension should be completed at the earliest to relieve citizens from traffic jams.

Manish Sisodia observed that this entire Ashram road stretch is facing severe traffic problems. It is only after the completion of this flyover extension, that passengers will be rid of the traffic problem. He said that it was a very difficult task to build a flyover in the middle of the road given that there was heavy traffic flow, and no permission to stop it. Engineers are allowed to work only for 4-5 hours a day, but our engineers overcame all such difficulties to make the construction possible. The flyover extension will be opened for public use after the completion of its construction by November.

The construction work of the flyover extension started in June 2020 after the project was approved by the Cabinet. However, the work was stalled for a long time due to the closure of construction activities during the COVID lockdown and later due to increase in pollution levels. The permission to start construction work from the traffic police also took almost an year, due to which, the pace of construction work was reduced further.

It is noteworthy that once the flyover extension work is completed, it will help in decongesting the Ashram intersection and the surrounding area. After the completion of this project, lakhs of people commuting from Noida and other parts of Delhi to South Delhi will be freed from traffic jams.

At present, vehicles coming and going from Noida and Ghaziabad to South Delhi have to grapple with jams while travelling from the DND loop to Ashram intersection. But after the completion of the flyover extension, people will be freed from this jam. At present, vehicles have to take a long route to cross the road from Kilokari, but soon, 150 meters away from Kilokari to Ring Road, drivers will be able to cross the road by taking a U-turn to reach Maharani Bagh or South Delhi. Similarly, vehicles going from Maharani Bagh to Sarai Kale Khan, Noida, ITO and Ghaziabad will not have to take long detours. A subway for pedestrians is also being constructed here.

Salient features of the Ashram Flyover Extension

-The total cost of the project is Rs 128.25 crore
-6 lane Ashram Extension Flyover
-3 lane ramp going from South Delhi to Sarai Kale Khan
-3 lane ramp going from ITO and Sarai Kale Khan to South Delhi
-Subway for pedestrians at the Maharani Bagh traffic light
-LED lights to light up the flyover
-Exquisite artwork on the pillars
The total length of the flyover including the ramp is 1425 meters.