Gurugram: Traffic trial near Kherki Daula toll plaza extended by another week

The traffic police on Tuesday extended the trial of the temporary U-turn, which opened around 70 metres before the Kherki Daula toll plaza, for another week till April 25.

Traffic police officials said a week’s time will help them understand the traffic patterns and the effect of the trial on the movement of vehicles better, thereby giving them ample time to decide upon executing permanent engineering changes.

On April 16, the traffic police initiated a three-day trial, wherein the temporary U-turn was opened to allow light vehicles travelling on the Jaipur-Delhi carriageway of NH-48 to head back towards Manesar.

Earlier, such vehicles had to take a U-turn around 700 metres before the toll plaza, which was leading to congestion and accidents on NH-48.

“Such was the congestion on the Delhi-Jaipur carriageway that the backlog of vehicles extended all the way to the toll plaza occasionally,” said deputy commissioner of police (traffic) Ravinder Singh Tomar, adding that the exit located 700 metres before the toll plaza was closed ever since the three-day traffic trial started last Saturday.

“Traffic police officials observed around 30-40% of vehicles travelling on the Jaipur-Delhi carriageway were taking the U-turn located 700 metres before the toll plaza, which was leading to congestion and accidents on NH-48. Hence, we opened a temporary U-turn around 70 metres before the toll plaza for light vehicles,” said Tomar.

The U-turn located 700 metres before the toll plaza has a vehicles’ height barrier, which means only light vehicles can take the U-turn.

The original plan of the traffic police for opening the temporary U-turn was to allow heavy vehicles to access the toll bypass road for Faridabad. However, the traffic police decided against this on Saturday, the first day of the trial, and created the temporary U-turn in such a manner, that it gave space to only light vehicles to take the turn.

The traffic police have also deployed marshals on the spot to prevent heavy vehicles from accessing the temporary U-turn.

The temporary U-turn was created after traffic police officials removed jersey barriers located between the median dividing the two carriageways and left space on one lane on each carriageway for facilitating the U-turn.

“If the trial is successful, we will permanently close the temporary U-turn and the current U-turn and a new U-turn will be opened, around 200 metres before the toll plaza,” said Tomar adding that the location proposed for the new U-turn is the only section of NH-48, where the height of the two carriageways is even and the speed of vehicles slows down.

Heavy vehicles, traffic police said, have to first cross the Kherki Daula toll, take a U-turn located just ahead and then cross the toll plaza a second time to head towards the toll bypass road for Faridabad.