Key projects to ease jams near Wazirabad

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Construction work on two U-turn underpasses on the Outer Ring Road between Wazirabad and Gandhi Vihar intersections is complete and the facility is likely to be inaugurated soon, Public Works Department (PWD) officials associated with the project said Sunday. Besides helping reduce congestion on the Outer Ring Road, the two underpasses are likely to benefit residents of localities around the ring road, such as Wazirabad, Gopalpur, Jagatpur, Gandhi Vihar, who are currently forced to take long detours to commute to and from their neighbourhoods.

Construction work at one of the half-underpasses underway between Jagatpur bridge and Wazirabad chowk. (HT Photo)
Construction work at one of the half-underpasses underway between Jagatpur bridge and Wazirabad chowk. (HT Photo)

According to authorities, the two half-underpasses and a subway near Jagatpur are key to making the busy 12-lane stretch signal-free while significantly decongesting the Burari roundabout which witnesses frequent traffic jams.

A PWD official overseeing the project said that both U-turn underpasses are now ready for vehicular movement. “This project comprised a novel approach –assembling pre-cast segments on the project site to develop underpasses. All 71 segments of the underpasses are in place and a file will soon be sent to the secretariat to finalise the inauguration schedule,” the official added.

A Delhi government spokesperson did not comment on the likely inauguration date for the facility.

The project was initially expected to be completed by June 2020 and overshot its deadline by around 2.5 years. The PWD official attributed the delay to pandemic-induced lockdowns, financial stress and shortage of labour.

According to the official, each half underpass has a 9m-wide U-turn curve and a 7.5m-wide ramp. The U-turn underpass near Jagatpur is 103m-long while the Wazirabad underpass is 125m-long. The height of each underpass is around 4m, therefore only light vehicles and cars will be allowed to use them. “Both the half underpasses comprise 71 constituent concrete segments. The work on the subway too is complete. Such underpasses are called half underpasses because the full section of these U-turn underpasses is not below ground level– the stretch for entry and exit on either side is at least three metres above the level of a drain that runs along this stretch of the Outer Ring Road, the official explained.

As of now, commuters who travel from northeast Delhi’s Gopalpur side towards Majnu ka Tila and ITO are forced to travel in the opposite direction for almost 3.5km and take a U-turn at the Burari roundabout to get to the other side. Similarly, commuters from Wazirabad towards Gopalpur or Gandhi Vihar are forced to take a U-turn near the Wazirabad flyover located 1.3km away. The two U-turn underpasses located at a distance of 300 metresfrom each otherwill provide shorter access routes to residents. “With the new underpass U-turns, commuters’ travel time will significantly reduce and the Burari roundabout will be decongested,” the official said.

According to officials, this is the first PWD project involving the onsite assembly of pre-fabricated segments. The project also includes a subway development near Gandhi Vihar, which is expected to primarily benefit pedestrian movement from Mukherjee Nagar towards Burari. “The subway was constructed because several accidents were reported here as people try to cross the 12-lane road from both sides. The point is also used by a large number of students who are commuting to and from Mukherjee Nagar, a coaching centre hub,” official added.

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