Underpass at Ashram likely to be operational by March, says PWD

New Delhi: In a relief to commuters passing through the busy Ashram crossing in south Delhi, the Public Works Department is likely to make operational a 750-metre-long underpass there by the second week of March, sources said.

According to officials of the Public Works Department (PWD), over 95 per cent work of the underpass has been completed and the work pertaining to covering of ramps is being carried out which is likely to be completed by the end of this month.

The facility is likely to be opened in the second week or latest by third week of March, PWD sources said.

The officials, however, said a trial run of traffic in the underpass is likely to be carried out in the first week of March.

The Ashram Chowk is an important link between central and south Delhi and also with Faridabad. The junction connects Mathura Road and the Ring Road (linking Lajpat Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan and DND Flyover).

The traffic police data shows that around 2.5 to 3 lakh vehicles cross the Ashram intersection every day during peak traffic hours. To ease the traffic logjam here, a 750-metre-long underpass is being built on Mathura Road between Nizamuddin Rail Bridge and CSIR Apartments at Ashram crossing.

Once the project is completed, it will benefit commuters passing through the busy Ashram crossing and ease the traffic towards Sarita Vihar, Badarpur and Faridabad from ITO and vice versa. Officials said the pace of construction work had slowed down in January due to rains which delayed the project.

The project had also earlier got delayed due to ban on construction activities in November-December last and previously owing to COVID-19 restrictions.

The foundation stone of the project was laid by Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on December 24, 2019. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 78 crore.

The project's initial deadline was December 2020 which was extended to March 2021 and further pushed to June 30 and then to September that year.

It was again shifted to November last and then to December. The latest deadline of the project is March 2022, officials said.