After missing several deadlines, the four-lane flyover at the busy Atul Kataria Chowk intersection was partially opened to traffic moving towards Kapashera on Sunday. The second arm of the carriageway, officials said, would be ready and operational by another fortnight.
The 735-metre-long flyover seeks to improve connectivity between the Gurugram bus stand and Kapashera and is part of an Rs 81.38-crore project to revamp the Atul Kataria Chowk which sees traffic from Huda City Centre metro station, railway station, bus stand and Sheetla Mata Mandir converge. Work on the project had started in April 2019 with an initial deadline of November 30 that year.
The work, however, was repeatedly held up by delays in shifting utilities, the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent lockdowns, as well as repeated bans on construction activities due to high pollution levels during the winter months.
On Sunday, a senior Public Works Department (PWD) official said one arm of the carriageway was opened for commuters. “The carriageway is meant for vehicles moving from Kapashera to Gurugram bus stand. But, we have opened it to the traffic moving in the opposite direction for now. Once the entire flyover and the service lanes are completed, traffic movement will be altered to the original plan,” the official said.
The PWD is revamping the intersection on behalf of the Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA).
Until now, traffic between the Gurugram bus stand and Kapashera was plying on the service road along the now-opened carriageway. “If we had opened the carriageway and allowed movement of vehicles from Kapashera to the bus stand, there could have been a conflict with the vehicles moving on the service road since the lane right next to the flyover is being used by vehicles moving from Gurugram to Delhi,” the official said, adding that the second carriageway and the service road are likely to be opened to the public by June 15..
Commuters using the stretch regularly, meanwhile, said traffic movement between Gurugram and Kapashera would ease once the flyover was completely opened. “The fact that they have opened even one side of the flyover is a good sign and we can hope the GMDA will be able to meet its June deadline for the other carriageway,” Saurabh Gupta, a resident of DLF Phase I, said.
Apart from the flyover, the Atul Kataria Chowk revamp project includes the construction of a 642-metre-long underpass between Sheetla Mata temple and Maharana Pratap Chowk. This underpass, officials said, will be ready by August 31. “The retaining wall and the support structure have already been made for the underpass, but the main carriageway is pending. We should be able to complete the work by August 31,” the PWD official said.
Source : TOI
