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NEW DELHI: As expected, the first day of the closure of Ashram flyover saw severe congestion on roads leading to the busy Ashram intersection. The bottleneck started developing from 8am on Monday, and by 11.30am, traffic flow was reduced to a crawl not just on that stretch but also at the Barapullah flyover, which many commuters had taken fearing a jam at Ashram.
Other stretches such as Sarai Kale KhanMathura Road and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway were packed as well. Most commuters said they were aware about the Ashram flyover closure but were tired of the congestion they were facing for the past two-three years. Traffic officials had a hard time on ground with commuters abusing them and losing patience. The tailback of vehicles extended from the end of DND right up to the Taimur Nagar T-point.
Monday evening too saw the same rush with people commuting from south Delhi to Noida and Sarai Kale Khan bearing the brunt of the traffic chaos. The evening jam started from 5.30pm and continued till 9pm. At one point, such was the jam on the Ring Road flyover near Sarai Kale Khan that motorists reversed their cars and started moving in the wrong direction, adding to the chaos.
The tailback of vehicles was visible from close to the end of the DND flyway. Traffic from Maharani Bagh as well as the DND merges on the road just after DND. A dozen traffic officials along with marshals and other support staff were present at the intersection at three different locations, first towards the end of the DND, then at the newly installed traffic light at Taimoor Nagar T-point and then at the main Ashram intersection.
“We are pausing the traffic from DND and Maharani Bagh merging on the road in shifts. When we allow traffic from Maharani Bagh to flow, we stop vehicles from DND, and vice versa. The timing of how long the traffic would be halted was decided as per the influx of vehicles. For some time, traffic from Maharani Bagh was heavy so we allowed that side to move for longer. We also had to see how traffic moved till the intersection and regulate accordingly,” said a traffic official on the ground.
Every time the official paused traffic on the DND side, people would roll down their windows and scream at officials to give them the pass, he said.
Sudhir, a commuter heading towards Panchsheel from Noida, said, “I left early around 8.30am hoping I would reach on time, but looks like I am not moving beyond the DND now. I was aware that the flyover will be shut but did not expect a rush like this. I am used to heavy traffic on this stretch but it’s insane today”.
Initially, impatient two-wheeler riders dragged their vehicles on the carriageway of the flyover moving towards Ashram. But further down the road digging work was on and access was shut. Cops too warned commuters to not use the flyover owing to the repair work.
Not just vehicles but buses and ambulances too were trying to make their way through the congestion. Aman, an ambulance driver who was carrying a severe head injury patient from Bulandshahr, said he had been getting stuck at Ashram for a month now. “Every time I reach here, there is always traffic, no matter what time of the day. Today, I have a head-injury patient and the closure of the flyover has only added to the mess. The road is uneven making it more painful to manoeuvre with critical patients on board. The authorities should get the work completed at the earliest,” he said.
When TOI reached the spot on Monday, the footpath was uneven and filled with mud, making it difficult for people to walk. So, pedestrians were forced to walk on the road, endangering their lives and also adding to the chaos.
Other stretches such as Sarai Kale KhanMathura Road and the Delhi-Meerut Expressway were packed as well. Most commuters said they were aware about the Ashram flyover closure but were tired of the congestion they were facing for the past two-three years. Traffic officials had a hard time on ground with commuters abusing them and losing patience. The tailback of vehicles extended from the end of DND right up to the Taimur Nagar T-point.
Monday evening too saw the same rush with people commuting from south Delhi to Noida and Sarai Kale Khan bearing the brunt of the traffic chaos. The evening jam started from 5.30pm and continued till 9pm. At one point, such was the jam on the Ring Road flyover near Sarai Kale Khan that motorists reversed their cars and started moving in the wrong direction, adding to the chaos.
The tailback of vehicles was visible from close to the end of the DND flyway. Traffic from Maharani Bagh as well as the DND merges on the road just after DND. A dozen traffic officials along with marshals and other support staff were present at the intersection at three different locations, first towards the end of the DND, then at the newly installed traffic light at Taimoor Nagar T-point and then at the main Ashram intersection.
“We are pausing the traffic from DND and Maharani Bagh merging on the road in shifts. When we allow traffic from Maharani Bagh to flow, we stop vehicles from DND, and vice versa. The timing of how long the traffic would be halted was decided as per the influx of vehicles. For some time, traffic from Maharani Bagh was heavy so we allowed that side to move for longer. We also had to see how traffic moved till the intersection and regulate accordingly,” said a traffic official on the ground.
Every time the official paused traffic on the DND side, people would roll down their windows and scream at officials to give them the pass, he said.
Sudhir, a commuter heading towards Panchsheel from Noida, said, “I left early around 8.30am hoping I would reach on time, but looks like I am not moving beyond the DND now. I was aware that the flyover will be shut but did not expect a rush like this. I am used to heavy traffic on this stretch but it’s insane today”.
Initially, impatient two-wheeler riders dragged their vehicles on the carriageway of the flyover moving towards Ashram. But further down the road digging work was on and access was shut. Cops too warned commuters to not use the flyover owing to the repair work.
Not just vehicles but buses and ambulances too were trying to make their way through the congestion. Aman, an ambulance driver who was carrying a severe head injury patient from Bulandshahr, said he had been getting stuck at Ashram for a month now. “Every time I reach here, there is always traffic, no matter what time of the day. Today, I have a head-injury patient and the closure of the flyover has only added to the mess. The road is uneven making it more painful to manoeuvre with critical patients on board. The authorities should get the work completed at the earliest,” he said.
When TOI reached the spot on Monday, the footpath was uneven and filled with mud, making it difficult for people to walk. So, pedestrians were forced to walk on the road, endangering their lives and also adding to the chaos.
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