In a move that comes as a big relief for residents of new sectors, Central Peripheral Road (CPR) – a part of the Dwarka Expressway project that links it with NH-8 and Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) – was opened to traffic on Wednesday.
The cloverleaf, however, has been only partially opened – commuters can now take the loop that links the expressway with NH-8, while the other three are still closed.
The move is expected to help reduce snarls on the narrow and potholed Narsinghpur service road, as those travelling from the expressway towards SPR can now use CPR instead of heading towards NH-8 and then taking a U-turn.
Thousands of residents in various sectors along the expressway and SPR were waiting for CPR to be operational as it not only reduces travel time to other parts of the city and Delhi significantly, but also helps commuters avoid paying toll at Kherki Daula.
“It was almost unbelievable to see traffic being allowed to ply on CPR on Wednesday morning. Barricades that had been blocking access to this crucial road all these months have finally been removed. Unlike other days when I would be stuck in huge jams on the narrow service road at Narsinghpur, I was able to drive straight on to SPR and reach my school near Sohna Road at least 20 minutes earlier than I usually would,” said Ritu Gupta, a teacher who lives in Sector 86.
With the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) claiming that the city section of the Dwarka Expressway is almost ready, commuters are hoping that the entire 19km stretch is operational before its launch, which is expected in the next 3-4 months.
“The opening of CPR is a big relief. It will save a lot of commuting time. My office is in Udyog Vihar and it takes me about an hour but on Wednesday, it took just around 15 minutes. Some stretches are not fully ready, and I hope that all the four loops are opened soon,” said Nikunj Garg, a Sector 37D resident.
The area’s MLA, Rakesh Daultabad, who had pushed NHAI officials to open the road, said more access points to the Dwarka Expressway will be opened in the coming days. “This part of the expressway is almost ready. But residents were still being forced to pay toll every time they went towards NH-8 or SPR. Now that CPR is opened, I will also push for the remaining loops to be opened at the earliest,” he said.
Deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav said the remaining loops will be opened soon and the service road at Narsinghpur too will be repaired in the next couple of days.
“NHAI officials have informed me that the remaining loops need minor work, and these too will be opened for traffic in the next couple of days. I have also asked them to recarpet the service road in the next 2-3 days, after which traffic flow on the stretch will improve,” he told TOI.
Source : TOI
