The Delhi government has been able to save over Rs 100 crore in the construction of Mangolpuri to Mukarba chowk elevated stretch with the use of the single pier technique. Government sources said that the stretch, which will be thrown open for the public on Sunday, has been completed in a cost of Rs 300 crore, while Rs 425 crore was the sanctioned amount. The stretch, the officials said, will ensure hassle-free travel for the motorists on the Outer Ring Road and will be the first segment to be opened of the ambitious Vikaspuri to Wazirabad elevated project.
Sources said that chief minister Arvind Kejriwal will inaugurate the section and will dedicate it to the public for a hassle-free commute. As per the single pier technique, six lanes of traffic will move on top, while four lanes will be open at the ground level. The technology has been employed on the busy Outer Ring Road to avoid congestion at the ground level.
The project was conceived during the erstwhile Sheila Dikshit dispensation to offer signal-free commute to the public. “The first section of Vikaspuri-Wazirabad elevated road from Mangolpuri to Mukarba Chowk will be inaugurated on Sunday. The entire project is divided into six sections,” PWD minister Satyendar Jain said.
He said after inaugurating the first section, the government will move towards completing the remaining sections of this project. The entire project comprises of three flyovers and three elevated sections to offer a seamless commute to the public. Once the entire project is complete, it will drastically cut the travel time and man hours wasted daily due to traffic congestion. Officials said that work on other sections is also nearing completion and the other sections will also be opened from a week after the first section’s inauguration. The construction on the project has started way back in March 2013 by the Sheila Dikshit government and was scheduled to be completed by May 2015 with an estimated cost of Rs 2,400 crore. The project was undertaken by the Public Works Department (PWD), to make the 17-km Vikaspuri-Wazirabad stre-tch signal-free.
PWD officials say the road is being widened to meet traffic requirements but the process got affected because of restrictions on cutting of trees.
On January 9, Delhi Congress leaders along with few locals residents had forcibly opened the newly-constructed elevated road from Mukarba Chowk for traffic, alleging that its inauguration had been delayed as Aam Aadmi Party had no time for it and, thereby, caused inconvenience to the people.
