Delhi’s Barapullah Phase III flyover will open to the public on September 29, creating a signal-free connection between Mayur Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan and reducing the reported travel time to around 15 minutes, Delhi PWD Minister Parvesh Sahib Singh said on Saturday.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to inaugurate the 3.5-km elevated corridor. The project is expected to make travel easier for commuters moving from Noida and East Delhi towards South Delhi, including the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, or AIIMS.
The journey from East Delhi to AIIMS currently takes about 35 to 40 minutes, according to officials cited in the report. The new corridor is expected to reduce that time to approximately 15 minutes by providing a signal-free route between the eastern and southern sections of the city.
Barapullah Phase III was approved in 2014 and work began in 2015, with completion originally targeted for 2017. The project subsequently faced repeated delays linked to a seven-year land acquisition dispute, environmental approvals, technical difficulties in constructing a major bridge structure across the Yamuna floodplain and prolonged administrative hurdles.
Its revised cost has risen to approximately Rs 1,635 crore. The project became associated with multiple missed deadlines during its construction period, making its scheduled opening a significant milestone for Delhi’s road infrastructure programme.
Singh said he had personally visited the site several times, reviewed progress and worked with officials to address bottlenecks. “For years, Delhiites saw deadlines come and go… I have personally visited the site multiple times, reviewed progress regularly and worked with officials to remove bottlenecks and get the project completed for the convenience of the public,” he said.
The project includes three traffic lanes and eight loops, with four each at Sarai Kale Khan and Mayur Vihar. Officials expect the corridor to help decongest traffic on National Highway 24, the DND Flyway and the Ring Road. It will also include a dedicated cycle track.
A special bridge structure over the Yamuna floodplain is among the project’s key engineering features. The corridor is also expected to improve access to the multi-modal transport hub at Sarai Kale Khan, which includes facilities linked to NCRTC, Indian Railways, the Inter-State Bus Terminus, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway.
The project’s final phase was affected by the need for environmental clearances and tree transplantation. Singh said the Centre provided clearance for trees to be transplanted after the BJP came to power last year, and that the project accelerated over the past year and a half through monitoring, inspections and coordination among multiple agencies.
Officials have estimated that the corridor could reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about two tonnes per day, described as equivalent to the absorption capacity of nearly 30,000 trees. The flyover is scheduled to open to the public after its inauguration on September 29.
