NEW DELHI: The Public Works Department will open the Ashram underpass for a trial run on Tuesday. According to officials, a formal inauguration will be done by chief minister Arvind Kejriwal within a week.
“We will finish the cleanup work by late tonight and ready the tunnel. We plan to open the tunnel for a trial run for two-three days after which we will study the issues faced by commuters. If there are no problems, then it will be formally inaugurated after a week,” said a PWD official overseeing the underpass project.
Earlier this month, PWD minister Manish Sisodia inspected the underpass that has been under construction for the past two years and assured that the stretch would be opened by March 22.
Ashram Chowk, where two major projects are being carried out by the government, has become a traffic nightmare for commuters. People passing by get stuck in traffic for hours at any time of the day.
When TOI visited the construction site on Monday, workers were seen clearing the dust on the 410-metre road, giving final touches and painting the divider of the four-lane underpass.
Currently, the ramp is being covered to avoid accumulation of water in the underpass during the rainy season. Approximately 30 poles on both sides of the underpass have been erected and only laying of PVC sheet covering is left. “We plan to remove all debris and construction material by tonight. The tunnel will be inaugurated soon and the rest of the work can be done later,” said a worker at the site.
The government is also constructing the Ashram flyover extension to cater to commuters using the Delhi-Noida-Direct Flyway to ease traffic coming from west, south and east Delhi and Noida. PWD officials said more than 50% of the work on the 1.5km flyover was completed. Sisodia has instructed the department to wrap up the project by August.
The Ashram Chowk has been a nightmare for commuters for ages and has been a major chokepoint. Traffic from central and south Delhi, Faridabad and Noida converge at this point and during peak hours vehicles move at a snail’s pace. The construction of the underpass and the extension of the flyover at the same time has added to the already existing mess.
