The Delhi Traffic Police have written to the Public Works Department (PWD) seeking the redesign of the merger point near the Sundial Park, where the newly opened Barapullah Phase-III Flyover connects with the existing corridor, citing repeated traffic congestion.
By Thursday evening, the eight-km drive from Safdarjung Hospital to Sarai Kale Khan was taking over an hour. A Delhi Traffic Police drone survey found two three-lane roads feeding into a single three-lane corridor at several points. A lane ends abruptly where the new spur joins the existing flyover over Sundial Park. The letter cited the inspection and noted that certain geometric and traffic-flow related issues at the merger point near Sundial Park are contributing to significant traffic congestion, particularly in view of the exceptionally high volume on the newly opened corridor. The Traffic Police asked PWD engineers to execute prompt modifications to ease commuter distress and ensure road safety.
In an October 1 (Friday) letter, a copy of which HT has seen, the office of the deputy police commissioner (southern range) flagged major geometric and structural defects to the executive engineer of PWD’s flyover project division F-21.
It noted that “after opening of the flyover, a joint inspection of the newly opened flyover and its adjoining stretches was conducted on October 1, by senior officers of Traffic Police along with officials of PWD”. “…it is suggested that the merger at the Sundial should be redesigned by providing a smooth curvature instead of the existing rectangular/sharp geometry to facilitate smooth and safe merging of traffic.” Barapullah Phase-III opened to the public on Wednesday last.
