The underpass at Vatika Chowk in Gurgaon, India, has finally been inaugurated and opened to the public. The 825m underpass, built at a cost of Rs 109 crore, aims to ease traffic between Southern Peripheral Road and Golf Course Road Extension. The project experienced delays due to heavy rain and funding issues. The underpass is part of GMDA’s plan to create a signal-free mobility corridor. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also announced that 16 underpasses and 15 flyovers have been built in the city since 2014.
The much-awaited underpass at Vatika Chowk was finally inaugurated by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar and opened to public on Friday. The 825m underpass with approach roads on both sides has been built to ease the traffic between Southern Peripheral Road (SPR) and Golf Course Road Extension .
Built at a cost of Rs 109 crore by National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and funded by GMDA, the underpass work was supposed to be completed by June.
But frequent spells of rain impeded progress of the work, while delays in getting funds further affected its pace, according to NHAI officials. The underpass was part of GMDA’s plan to redevelop SPR from Ghata to NH8 as a signal-free mobility corridor through Sohna elevated road.
The underpass work was originally planned to be undertaken by GMDA and later was passed on to NHAI as it is built underneath the elevated road.
It got the chief minister’s administrative approval in July last year.
“The project is significant as there are several residential and commercial complexes in the vicinity, and thousands of commuters going towards Faridabad and NH8 will no longer have to face congestion daily. It will also ensure smooth inter-sector connectivity in newly developed sectors along SPR. Since Dwarka Expressway is likely to open soon, this underpass will further ease the commute,” Amit Godara, GMDA executive engineer, said.
At the inaugural event, Khattar said 16 underpasses and 15 flyovers have been built in the city after he came to power in 2014.
“There are 58 projects spanning 245km in the city, for which Rs 1,747 crore has been allocated. Work on many of these projects has either been completed or is still in progress. An amount of Rs 1,027 crore is being spent on 10 big projects like sewerage network and drainages in the city,” Khattar said.
Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh, GMDA CEO and MCG Commissioner PC Meena, deputy commissioner Nishant Yadav along with senior officials of GMDA were present at the event.
While the opening of the underpass will benefit commuters by reducing the travel time, motorists are disappointed with the delay in redevelopment of SPR.
“Opening of the underpass was much-needed as after the partial opening of Dwarka Expressway, traffic at the spot increased manifold resulting in snarls, especially during rush hours. It is certainly a big gift to residents living along SPR. However, it would have been better for us if the authority had done something about the dilapidated condition of the road,” Deepak Fialok, a resident of Sector 70A, who frequently used this stretch, said.
When asked about work on SPR, GMDA officials said they have floated a tender to carry out special repair of SPR from Ghata village to Vatika Chowk at a cost of Rs 7.6 crore. “We will start the repair work once we get the necessary approvals,” the official said.
Source : TOI
