Tunnel work on NH48 clogs Gurgaon-Delhi route, no respite anytime soon

NEW DELHI: Driving to Delhi or to Indira Gandhi International Airport from Gurgaon is set to become an ordeal with the National Highways Authority of India starting the construction of a tunnel on NH48 between Rajokri in south Delhi and Sarhaul in Haryana. Motorists must now brace for protracted travel times as the two service lanes will be closed for around a month. TOI visited the stretch on Tuesday and discovered that jams extending to over two hours had already begun.

According to an advisory issued by Gurgaon Traffic Police, motorists driving from Gurgaon to Delhi have the option of using alternative routes such as Dwarka Expressway, Aya Nagar Border and Old Delhi Road. For those traversing towards Delhi from Manesar, Rewari, Jaipur, Sohna, Farukhnagar, Jhajjar and Gurgaon, Dwarka Expressway is the most viable alternative.

Traffic on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway has virtually ground to a halt, with drivers having to endure close to an hour merely to traverse the 2km from Shankar Chowk to Dwarka Link Road. On Tuesday, the congestion started as early as 3.30pm, with even the internal roads of Udyog Vihar completely choked.

"With the closure of the service lanes, the traffic situation is likely to deteriorate further," conceded a Delhi Traffic Police officer. The traffic police, like their Gurgaon counterpart, have issued an advisory on alternative routes for those coming from Gurgaon and trying to reach Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj, IGIA and Dhaula Kuan. These would be Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road via Aya Nagar Border, Old Gurgaon Road-Kapashera-Samalkha Road, Gurgaon-Dwarka Expressway-Dabri-Gurgaon Road-Dwarka Flyover-Dwarka Road-Station Road and Parade Road. To reach IGIA and New Delhi Railway Station, travellers should take Delhi Metro's Airport Express Line from Dwarka Sector-21 station, the advisory stated.

Road safety expert Balraj Bhanot agreed that a 2-hour jam had become the norm on the NH48 stretch. "There is an MCD toll plaza in front of Ambience Mall where commercial vehicles arriving from Jaipur and Gurgaon crowd into 4-5 lanes, posing a significant threat to road safety of commuters," he remarked.

Prince Singhal, founder of CADD - Community Against Drunken Driving, enumerated the problems. "First, the NH 48 between Gurgaon and Delhi sees numerous accidents due to the poorly managed jams, with vehicles failing to remain in their designated lanes," he said. "Secondly, there are hardly any cuts on the stretch for those seeking a U-turn. Thirdly, NHAI has consistently delayed advisories about the closure of certain stretches, causing inconvenience to motorists."

Jagriti Khurana took care to leave her office early to avoid the gridlock but still found herself ensnared. "It took me over an hour just to cross the Delhi-Gurgaon border. The traffic was crawling, and tempers flared because the cars did not stay in their lanes. This is an absolute nightmare and it is intensifying by the day," she said.