News: Flyover at Bakhtawar Chowk to smoothen traffic flow-06-04-2021
Flyover at Bakhtawar Chowk to smoothen traffic flow
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning to construct a flyover at Bakhtawar Chowk, one of the busiest intersections in the city, officials said on Tuesday
The Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority (GMDA) is planning to construct a flyover at Bakhtawar Chowk, one of the busiest intersections in the city, officials said on Tuesday. A detailed report in this regard will be tabled for approval during the eighth GMDA meeting, scheduled for April 9.
Officials said that the flyover will be constructed on the sector-dividing road, between Huda City Centre and Subhash Chowk.
“We have made a proposal with detailed report for constructing a flyover at the Bakhtawar Chowk, which will help in managing traffic and ease the vehicular congestion at the intersection. The flyover, which will be around 500-600 metres long, will be made in the direction of Subhash Chowk, towards Huda City Centre, passing over the intersection,” said a senior GMDA official, requesting anonymity.
Traffic from Rajiv Chowk, Subhash Chowk, Huda City Centre and Mayfield Gardens converge at Bakhtawar Chowk, making it one of the most congested spots in the city. As per GMDA’s own comprehensive mobility plan (CMP) compiled by the School of Planning and Architecture (SPA), the junction has a vehicle accumulation count of 8,545 between 6pm and 7pm.
As per the CMP, roads leading from Subhash Chowk and Huda City Centre, running west to east, have six lanes, with service roads on both sides and a right-of-way of 60 metres. However, the roads leading from Rajiv Chowk and Mayfield Gardens, running north to south, have four lanes, with a right-of-way ranging from 30-36 metres. Due to the differences in the width of carriageways, the junction is not aligned. As a result, it takes more time for motorists travelling from Subhash Chowk and Huda City Centre to cross the junction, leading to congestion and snarls.
The GMDA official cited above said that the flyover will help commuters to avoid the traffic signal at the Bakhtawar Chowk. “At present, commuters have to stop at Subhash Chowk and then again at Bakhtawar Chowk, but with the flyover, commuters will be able to avoid one signal and go straight. The flyover will be double lane and so, movement will be easy both up and down,” the official said.
The cost of construction has been estimated at over ₹60 crore and construction will start soon after approval. Officials said that the flyover should be functional by April 2022.
Along with the flyover, work will also be undertaken to develop service lanes under the flyover and making left turns free at the intersection.
For easing traffic congestion, the GMDA has already installed a smart traffic signal at Bakhtawar Chowk along with six other places in the city. A smart traffic signal is an automated one that takes into account the volume of traffic on a realtime basis.
Officials will also put forth a proposal for extending GMDA’s coverage to the entirety of the Gurugram district in the meeting. In March, the authority initiated a proposal to extend the jurisdictional boundaries of GMDA as well as extend the Gurugram Metropolitan Area (GMA) to help with connectivity and management issues. The authority officials said they received five “positive” responses in this regard.
