Barapullah III, a 3.5-km elevated road across the Yamuna, will open to the public in Delhi on September 29, creating a direct, signal-free connection between parts of east and south Delhi after years of delays. Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to inaugurate the Rs 1,635-crore corridor.
The four-lane road will connect areas including Mayur Vihar, Patparganj and Trilokpuri with Sarai Kale Khan, Jangpura and AIIMS. By bypassing major bottlenecks and signalised intersections, the corridor is expected to provide a quicker route for commuters travelling between the two parts of the city.
Delhi Public Works Department minister Parvesh Verma said the project had been completed after a prolonged wait. In a post on X, Verma said Delhi had waited nearly a decade and that the project had been completed in one and a half years after remaining stuck for years. He attributed the push to the administration led by chief minister Rekha Gupta and said long-pending projects were being taken forward with a focus on timely completion.
Verma inspected the project and interacted with officials on Saturday. The officials said the bridge was ready for inauguration. An official quoted in the report said a large public event was being planned for the launch, with residents having awaited the project since 2017.
Barapullah III is the 10th road overbridge across the Yamuna in Delhi. The corridor has been designed with facilities for people travelling without motor vehicles, including dedicated cycle tracks and footpaths or walkways. These features distinguish it from many other bridges in the city, where road space is primarily designed for motor traffic.
The bridge also includes nine loops intended to distribute traffic across the corridor rather than direct vehicles towards one or two concentrated junctions. The arrangement is aimed at reducing pressure at entry and exit points, although the effect on surrounding roads will become clear only after the corridor begins carrying regular traffic.
The project was approved in 2014 with an estimated budget of Rs 1,261 crore and was originally scheduled for completion in 2017. Its construction was delayed by land acquisition disputes, environmental clearances and challenges associated with work on the Yamuna floodplain. The revised cost is Rs 1,635 crore, representing an on-paper increase of Rs 375 crore over the original estimate.
The opening will bring the project into operation, but the corridor’s wider impact will depend on how traffic is distributed across its loops, connecting roads and adjoining intersections. The immediate official milestone is the September 29 inauguration and subsequent opening of the road to public traffic.
