Relief for Delhi: New 3-lane flyover to clear RTR traffic mess

NEW DELHI: The Rao Tularam Marg (RTR) bottleneck on Outer Ring Road, on the way to IGI Airport, will finally be removed with Delhi government deciding to construct an additional three-lane flyover parallel to the existing flyover. The much-awaited approval for the project was received from the lieutenant-governor on Friday at a meeting of the apex planning body, UTTIPEC. Along with it, an underpass will also be built on Benito Juarez Marg for traffic to cross over to Ring Road.

Since December 2010, TOI has been campaigning for a viable solution to this mess of a half-flyover built by PWD. In a series of articles, this newspaper had proposed various solutions, including a six-lane flyover.

The RTR nuisance is a story of bad planning and the consequence of giving in to pressure groups. Constructed as part of the Commonwealth Games projects at a cost of Rs 59.60 crore, it was originally planned as a normal two-way flyover but then reduced to a three-lane one-way flyover because of a series of objections. What followed was quite predictable: regular traffic snarls.

After huge bottlenecks were reported at the grade level from IIT to airport, the traffic flow on the flyover was reversed to IIT to airport. Similar bottlenecks now resulted in front of Army Research and Referral Hospital. It was finally decided that the carriageway be made two-way, resulting in only one-and-a-half lanes available in each direction. Daily jams are reported on this stretch, and if a vehicle breaks down midway on the flyover, traffic comes to a complete halt.

PWD minister Raj Kumar Chauhan, who had earlier told TOI that a solution would be found soon, said: "The flyover will be on a portal structure so as to minimize traffic disruption at the ground level by allowing two lanes of traffic on the ground to pass through. Also, an underpass will be built on Benito Juarez Marg-Ring Road junction to divert traffic from RTR. Now we will seek aesthetic approval from Delhi Urban Arts Commission (DUAC)."

The flyover is being planned as a connection to the existing Munirka flyover, explained a senior PWD official. "The new flyover will be connected to the Munirka flyover and cater to traffic heading from IIT towards NH-8 and airport. This means that those travelling on the Munirka flyover will have the option to continue towards RTR on this new flyover. Other commuters will be able to get off the Munirka flyover as usual." Once the new flyover is built, the existing RTR flyover will be made one-way and cater to traffic coming from the airport and NH-8 and headed for IIT, said officials.

The proposed underpass on the Benito Juarez Marg-Ring Road T-junction will help reduce traffic snarls on RTR, said officials. The plan for the underpass, worked out in consultation with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, will allow traffic from Benito Juarez Marg to turn right on to Ring Road towards Moti Bagh or go to San Martin Marg towards Defence Officers Enclave.

DMRC is already building an underground Metro station on Ring Road in the same area. At present, the traffic going from NH-8 towards Ring Road has to use Rao Tula Ram Marg, and not Benito Juarez Marg, due to no right-turning options at the point where it meets Ring Road, said PWD officials.