Relief soon for Delhiites getting stuck in traffic jams at Ashram: Underpass to be made operational by this date

In a bid to ease the traffic here, a 750m long underpass is being constructed on Mathura Road, at Ashram crossing, between Nizamuddin Rail Bridge and CSIR Apartments.

Written by FE News Desk

Updated: February 23, 2022 16:31 IST

More than 95% of work of the underpass has been completed and the work pertaining to covering of ramps is being conducted which is likely to be completed by this month-end. (image: Indian Express)

Relief for commuters traveling through the busy Ashram crossing in south Delhi! A 750-metre-long underpass is likely to be made operational by the Public Works Department by the second week of March. According to Public Works Department (PWD) officials, more than 95% of work of the underpass has been completed and the work pertaining to covering of ramps is being conducted which is likely to be completed by this month-end. The facility is expected to be opened in the second week or latest by the third week of the next month, PWD sources were quoted saying in a PTI report. However, they said in the first week of March, a trial run of traffic in the underpass is likely to be carried out.

The Ashram Chowk is a crucial link between south and central Delhi as well as with Faridabad, the report said. The junction connects Mathura Road and the Ring Road (connecting Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan as well as DND Flyover). As per the traffic police data, daily around 2.5 to 3 lakh vehicles cross the Ashram intersection during peak hours. In a bid to ease the traffic here, a 750m long underpass is being constructed on Mathura Road, at Ashram crossing, between Nizamuddin Rail Bridge and CSIR Apartments. The project after being completed will benefit commuters passing through the busy Ashram crossing and ease the traffic towards Badarpur, Sarita Vihar and Faridabad from ITO as well as vice versa.

According to officials, the construction work’s pace had slowed down in the month of January due to rains which led to project delay. Earlier, the project got delayed due to a ban on construction activities in last November-December and previously owing to restrictions related to Covid-19. On December 24, 2019, CM Arvind Kejriwal laid the foundation stone of the project. The project’s estimated cost is Rs 78 crore. The project’s initial deadline was December 2020 which was extended to March 2021 and the deadline was further pushed to June 30 and then to the month of September that year. Again, it was shifted to last November and then to December. According to the officials, the project’s latest deadline is March 2022.

This article was first uploaded on February twenty-three, twenty twenty-two, at twenty-five minutes past twelve in the night.