Underpass will open on Mar 22, flyover likely by Aug, says Sisodia on inspection
New Delhi: Come March 22, commuters travelling to and from ITO and other parts of central Delhi will have a breezy ride through the perennially-clogged Ashram crossing as the Delhi government is all set to open the much-awaited Ashram underpass for vehicular movement.
The announcement was made by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia on Monday after he carried out an inspection of the construction site in south Delhi, following which he added that the Ashram flyover extension connecting to Noida is also expected to be finished by August this year, directing PWD officials to expedite the work.
"In a huge relief for the residents of Delhi-NCR, the underpass at the busy Ashram Chowk will be opened for the public from March 22," Sisodia said, adding that another underpass at Pragati Maidan will be made ready for use by May.
"The construction work of Ashram Underpass is in its last phase and it will be opened for the public from March 22, which will benefit lakhs of people daily," said Sisodia, who recently took over the PWD portfolio from minister Satyendar Jain.
Ashram Chowk is an important link between central and south Delhi and also with Faridabad. The junction connects the Mathura Road and the Ring Road (linking Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan and the DND flyover). Once the project is completed, it would benefit the commuters passing through the busy Ashram crossing and ease the ride towards Sarita Vihar, Badarpur and Faridabad from ITO.
Sisodia said last year, the construction work of the Ashram underpass had to be stopped several times due to the lockdown clamped to curb the spread of COVID-19. "This delayed the completion of the underpass but now, the construction work has resumed and is in its final stage.
From March 22, this underpass would be opened for traffic, which will benefit lakhs of people daily," he added.
According to data provided by the traffic police, around 2.5 lakh to 3 lakh vehicles cross the Ashram intersection every day during peak traffic hours. To ease the traffic logjam at the crossing, a 750-metre-long underpass is being built on the Mathura Road, between the Nizamuddin rail bridge and the CSIR Apartments.
The foundation stone of the underpass was laid by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 24, 2019 and it was to be completed in a year's time. PWD officials said the deadline was first extended to March 2021, further pushed to June 30, 2021 and then to September 2021. It was again extended to December 2020 and then to March 2022. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 78 crore, the officials said.
