A severe traffic jam returned to Delhi’s Barapullah Phase-3 corridor on Monday, affecting commuters travelling between Mayur Vihar, NH-9, DND and adjoining roads despite the deployment of traffic police personnel at key points. The disruption has been attributed by Delhi Traffic Police to a structural bottleneck where traffic from eight to nine lanes converges into a three-lane section of the older Barapullah flyover.
The congestion was reported on the first working day after the holidays, when traffic volumes rose again on the newly opened corridor and its connecting roads. Vehicles were diverted from Mayur Vihar towards NH-9 and the DND corridor as queues built up. Some motorists were also reported to be driving on the wrong side of the road in an attempt to bypass the congestion, creating an additional safety risk.
The traffic disruption extended beyond Barapullah Phase 3 to the existing Barapullah corridor, Ring Road, Delhi-Noida Link Road and the DND corridor. Traffic police personnel were deployed at the affected merging points to regulate vehicle movement, but the congestion continued through the morning and commuters did not receive immediate relief.
According to Delhi Traffic Police, the principal cause is the narrowing of the road at the old Barapullah flyover. The older Barapullah flyover, covering Phases 1 and 2, has three lanes. The newly constructed Phase-3 flyover towards Mayur Vihar also has approximately three lanes. In addition, the Sarai Kale Khan-side loop and the DND-side loop are each three lanes wide.
As traffic from these approaches merges, the combined flow from roughly eight to nine lanes is forced into a three-lane section on the old flyover. The mismatch between approach capacity and downstream road width has resulted in long queues at the merging points. The disruption demonstrates that opening an additional corridor does not automatically remove congestion when the adjoining network cannot absorb the extra traffic.
Delhi Traffic Police also said that live traffic-flow updates were not being reflected accurately on Google Maps. The affected routes were reportedly continuing to appear green, indicating free-flowing traffic even while vehicles were stuck. This has made it more difficult for motorists to identify the congestion and choose alternative routes in real time.
Barapullah Phase 3 was inaugurated by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 29. The project was built at a reported cost of Rs 1,635 crore. It was approved in 2014, construction began in 2015 and the original completion deadline was 2017, but the project faced repeated delays before its opening.
Traffic police personnel remain deployed at both merging points to manage vehicle movement. Diversions towards NH-9 and the DND corridor are being used while authorities handle congestion on the Barapullah network.
