At airport roundabout, Dwarka-bound traffic to go underground

Determined to make travelling to and from the Delhi airport a smooth affair, civic agencies are coming up with new ideas every day to decongest the approach to IGI. After the Public Works Department announced its plans to construct a series of three flyovers between IIT and Rao Tula Ram marg, Delhi Development Authority is now putting together a plan to address traffic issues ailing the airport roundabout. The DDA’s plan is to take underground the roads leading to Dwarka from the roundabout. “The two roads leading to the underpass to Dwarka from NH-8 will be routed under the roundabout. This particular roundabout directs traffic towards the airport and if the Dwarka underpass road goes underground, airport-bound traffic will find it easier to reach the terminals. As per our surveys, the roundabout was facing heavy congestion because of traffic towards and from Dwarka ever since the underpass came up,” said R N Mehrotra, Project Manager Flyovers, DDA. The road coming from Gurgaon towards Dwarka and the one from Dhaula Kuan to Dwarka will go underground near the roundabout and emerge a little distance away. The airport-bound traffic being overland, will have a smooth journey, so will the traffic headed for Dwarka. Around 4,000 passenger car units (PCUs) use the roundabout per hour making movement slow. The plan has already been approved by the DDA sub-committee and is pending approval from the technical committee, after which the Delhi Urban Arts Commission will examine it. Estimates for the project will be drawn up once it is approved by the technical committee. The traffic police is also examining the plan. –ExpressIndia