Delhi’s Ashram Chowk intersection to get 750-metre tunnel to ease traffic

By March next year, those travelling from the city’s Nizamuddin will get signal-free access to New Friends Colony or Jamia on Mathura road — minus the perennial jam at the Ashram traffic junction.

This will be possible through a tunnel below the Ashram Chowk intersection, which records 429,000 vehicles every day.

The public works department (PWD) will build the 750-metre tunnel between Nizamuddin railway overbridge and CSIR apartment on Mathura road.

The PWD is calling the project an “architectural marvel” with four-layered traffic running across — two tunnels below the road and the flyover over it.

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“The Delhi Metro is constructing a tunnel, which is almost complete. They have left space for another tunnel, which will be constructed above the Metro’s. All we need to do is to build a wall. This will take a year,” an official said.

The tunnel will cost Rs 87 crore and 80% of the funds will come from the Centre. Work will begin after the project’s finances are approved.

The stretch has been a nightmare for commuters for the past two years because of flyover and road repairs, which have led to diversions. The ongoing Metro construction has also reduced road space, triggering traffic snarls on Ashram Chowk and Mathura Road.

Another construction may not be good news for regulars using the stretch.

Officials said diversions will continue even after Metro work is completed by May. “We will take over the same site,” an official said, warning that road space will continue to be restricted.

Ashram Chowk is the busiest intersection in the Capital as roads from central, south, and east Delhi meet here.

The Metro construction, frequent roadwork, lack of enough personnel to man traffic, and illegal parking by the roadside make the situation worse. Authorities promised the Metro and the tunnel will help ease traffic.

Read | Tunnel construction may further choke Ashram Chowk, jams may continue

The Metro’s longest tunneling drive of 1.6km from Ashram to Nizamuddin also falls on this section.

Besides, the Kalindi Kunj bypass project is set to take off after 16 years in the cold storage. This will further decongest Ashram Chowk.

The 13km project — 5.5km of which will be elevated — has been stuck over differences on transfer of land that comes within Uttar Pradesh.

PWD officials said the bypass would allow commuters from east and south Delhi and Noida to avoid Ashram Chowk completely on their way to Faridabad.

The first leg of the bypass will start from the DND flyover and touch down at Kalindi Kunj. Here, the road that joins Badarpur flyover would be widened. From the Badarpur flyover, commuters will get signal-free access to Faridabad.

The estimated cost of the project is Rs 750 crore and it will be completed in two phases.

In the first phase, the stretch from Kalindi Kunj to Badarpur flyover will be expanded and then the stretch between DND and Kalindi Kunj will be constructed.