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Delhi’s newly opened Barapullah Phase III elevated corridor saw 3-km long traffic Wednesday, a day after it was inaugurated. Congestion especially built up from Mayur Vihar Phase I towards Sarai Kale Khan.
One driver told PTI he was stuck for about 40 minutes on the way to central Delhi. The corridor, meant to cut Mayur Vihar to AIIMS travel from 30-40 minutes to 15-20, was inaugurated on Tuesday, September 29.
Traffic on the Ring Road near Sarai Kale Khan has eased with this flyover, as vehicles that would have queued there now take the elevated route, but the pressure has shifted to two points.
At Suryaghadi, vehicles from Phase III merge into the older Barapullah Phase I corridor on their way to AIIMS.
At Ashram, the extra flow joins traffic already coming in from the DND, Sarai Kale Khan and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
Delhi Traffic Police officers, meanwhile, have been directed to step up regulation and strengthen deployment at merging and exit points.
PWD officials reportedly said the carriageway from AIIMS towards Mayur Vihar would open on Thursday afternoon. Authorities are also considering closing the Suryaghadi cloverleaf to link Phase III directly with Phase I, and the police have said several options are on the table.
Barapullah Phase III was approved in 2014, began in 2015 and was originally due for completion in 2017. It opened at a revised cost of about ₹1,635 crore.
The 3.5-km elevated stretch, intended to directly connect Mayur Vihar Phase I with Sarai Kale Khan by extending the existing Barapullah network, promised initially to cut the journey between the two points from around 35–45 minutes to just 15 minutes.
Experts had cautioned before the opening that the corridor could add to congestion near Sarai Kale Khan.