NH-48 on Delhi-Gurugram e-way to be shut for 3 months; check alternate routes

The Delhi Traffic Police is planning to close a 500-metre stretch of National Highway 48 (NH-48) on the Delhi-Gurugram expressway for around 90 days to facilitate the construction of a flyover and two underpasses, raising fears of traffic snarls on the already busy stretch.

The closure near Shiv Murti is meant to allow projects that will connect south Delhi with Dwarka, traffic police officers aware of the matter said on Friday.

According to officials from the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI), one of the underpasses will connect the Dwarka expressway with Nelson Mandela Marg, while the other will connect the Dwarka link road with NH-48. The flyover will pass above them, connecting points near the CNG pump and near the Shiv Murti.

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Traffic police officers said that while the construction of the two underpasses and flyover are being undertaken, vehicles on the highway will be diverted towards slip roads constructed by NHAI next to the carriageway towards Delhi. SS Yadav, special commissioner of police (traffic), said, “Traffic at NH-48 near Shiv Murti intersection will be diverted from the main highway to newly constructed slip roads… As per NHAI officials, the construction work will be completed within 90 days.”

Yadav said the traffic police have analysed the route and volume of traffic on this stretch. “By March 14, we will give a no-objection certificate to NHAI so that they can commence the construction work. The diversion from slip roads will not create major problems for commuters as these roads are not narrow,” he said. He estimated that nearly 75,000 vehicles cross this stretch daily.

Nirman Jambulkar, project director, NHAI, Gurugram, said, “The 500m road from Shiv Murti up to the Rajokri flyover will be affected during the construction.”

Prakhar Sahay, a regular commuter on the highway, said work on these underpasses and flyover should be completed as quickly as possible. “This is likely to cause terrible traffic jams. However, once completed, it will be beneficial to commuters going to Delhi and Dwarka,” he said.

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Yadav said that the new constructions will likely reduce the travel time for commuters heading towards Dwarka.

The under-construction Dwarka expressway is a 29-km stretch that starts from the Shiv Murti in Delhi, passes through Dwarka and several sectors in Gurugram, before culminating near Kherki Daula. The project was conceived in 2006 by the Haryana government but got stuck due to land issues and was taken over by NHAI in 2016 after it was declared a national highway.

The work on the project started in 2019, and was slated to be completed in 2021, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the deadlines were revised for both the Delhi and Gurugram sections. The work on the Gurugram section is expected to be completed by July this year, while the sections Delhi are expected to be completed by 2024.