Temporary Closure On NH 48: New Multi-Level Interchange Facility To Come Up As Part Of Dwarka Expressway To Ease Vehicular Commute In The National Capital

The closure of the 500 m stretch on the Delhi-Jaipur National Highway (NH)-48 between Rangpuri and Rajokri has been causing considerable distress to the heavy vehicular movement between Gurugram and Delhi, including commute to the IGI Airport.

Beginning last week, this stretch is shut for a duration of three months.

According to officials, the ongoing civil work on this closed stretch is part of a larger project to develop the largest multi-level interchange facility.

Once operational, it will provide easy access to commuters in the national capital, reports The Hindu.

The interchange facility is expected to significantly reduce the travel time between Delhi and Gurugram, as well as to the airport and Dwarka.

This underpass forms part of the upcoming Dwarka Expressway project, which will bypass NH-48 near Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport and Kherki Daula near Manesar.

The proposed location for the construction of the underpass is near Shiv Murti on the NH, and it will feature a two-level underground interchange designed to facilitate traffic movement in 12 different directions.

An official from the National Highways Authority of India, said the interchange will facilitate smooth traffic flow between Delhi and Gurugram by doing away with the need for several U-turns, as per report by The Hindu.

“The flyover will start near Shiv Murti and connect with Dwarka Link Road, reducing the travel time from Delhi to Dwarka. It will be commissioned in June. Those travelling from Delhi to Dwarka in the meantime need to travel to Rajokri flyover to make a U-turn,” said the official.

The official added, “The portion of the interchange facility on the 500-metre stretch of the NH 48, blocked to traffic, is expected to be completed before the monsoon. But the commissioning of the entire project would take longer.”

Similarly, one of the exits of the underground interchange will facilitate the movement from Dwarka to Gurugram without the need to travel to Mahipalpur for a U-turn.

Additionally, there is a proposal to develop a 4 km tunnel near Shiv Murti to Nelson Mandela Marg — which would allow commuters to save considerable time — for the traffic moving from Gurugram towards Vasant Kunj in Delhi.

The official added that the 4 km proposed tunnel project is still in the pipeline.

“Work on it would be carried out separately. However, construction of the tunnel would not hamper the traffic movement on NH 48,” as per the official.

The under construction Dwarka Expressway is 29 km long, also known as the Northern Peripheral Road or NH 248-BB.

It is a high-speed, access-controlled grade-separated 14-lane road network, under construction, that connects Delhi with Gurugam, and is expected to relieve traffic congestion on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway and other arterial highways.