No traffic jams on Gurugram-Delhi road despite construction work
A service lane on the Mahipalpur-IGI Airport road was closed around 3 pm on Tuesday, slowing down the flow of traffic near the International Airport and on the Gurugram-Delhi road. However, no traffic jams were reported on NH-48 or any of the service lanes along the highway.
The service lanes along NH-48, particularly from the merging point at Dwarka Link Road to the Mahipalpur Petrol Pump, remain open for traffic despite the ongoing construction of a 4.3-km underground tunnel by the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI). This tunnel is being constructed between the Shiv Murti interchange on NH-48 and Nelson Mandela Marg, connecting an airport road with the Mumbai Expressway.
During a visit to the interchange point of NH-48 to Mahipalpur and Dwarka Expressway, this correspondent observed that construction was in full swing with heavy machinery and hundreds of labourers on site. Despite the activity, there were no traffic disruptions on either the highway or the service lanes.
Surendra Jha, a security official posted at the construction site, mentioned that the service lanes had been closed on 3-4 occasions in the past two months due to precautionary measures following soil collapse during heavy rains and a gas pipeline leak.
Today, a small portion of the Mahipalpur road was being resurfaced, leading to a temporary closure for a few hours. It is expected to reopen late tonight or by Wednesday morning to ensure a smooth flow of traffic.
Jha also stated that vehicle movement from the Gurugram side towards Delhi on the service lane was unaffected. However, traffic flow on the Gurugram-Delhi road tends to remain slow, even during the day. Mornings and evenings typically experience traffic jams or slow-moving vehicles in both directions.
Interestingly, hardly any traffic jams are observed on the Delhi-to-Gurugram side of the road, even though construction work is also underway on that side too. Slow-moving traffic is also seen at other key locations, such as Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj, Kapashera and Dhaula Kuan, due to ongoing construction.
In light of the situation, the Delhi Traffic Police recently issued an advisory urging commuters to consider alternative routes like the Mehrauli-Gurugram Road and various crossings through Dwarka. The advisory also recommends using the Metro, with the Airport Express Line from Dwarka Sector-21 station offering a fast and convenient alternative to avoid road congestion.
