The Hindu : New Delhi News : Renovation of Safdarjung flyover delayed

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Monday, Jun 02, 2008
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New Delhi

Renovation of Safdarjung flyover delayed

Manisha Jha

‘Built in 1974, it has outlived its life by over eight years and is in dire need of renovation’

NEW DELHI: Originally scheduled to undergo complete renovation by August, the Safdarjung flyover on Aurobindo Marg is still awaiting its final look after work began in February this year.

According to the New Delhi Municipal Council, the flyover built in 1974 had outlived its life by over eight years and was in dire need of renovation given the traffic volume it handles. The flyover consists of two carriageways, one on Safdarjung Airport side and the other on B. K. Dutt Colony side.

The civic body has cited delay in obtaining clearance from the traffic police for holding up of the project. Moreover, though the NDMC planned to renovate the flyover by working on one carriage-way at a time, given the traffic flow it was only accorded permission to work on half of one carriage-way at a time.

An NDMC official said: “We had trial runs to divert traffic and undertake work on the flyover. However on the suggestion of the traffic police we had to widen road portions, create an opening in the central verge, remove blinker traffic lights and electric poles on the B. K. Dutt Colony slip road and the road to Laxmibai Nagar side. After completing these works we finally got clearance from the traffic police in February itself.”

Apart from changing the bearings on the flyover and repairing the expansion joints and cracks, the civic body is also undertaking improvement of the drainage system as part of the project.

The NDMC official said: “The entire work has been divided into four phases as we will be undertaking work on one-fourth of the flyover at a time. At present, about 30 per cent of the work is complete on the Safdarjung Airport side and we plan to begin work on the second phase by the first week of June. The deadline for completion of the entire work is October.”

Approved by the NDMC in July 2006, the Rs.2.25-crore project’s original August 2007 deadline was first extended to June and then to the current October deadline.

Police clearance

“Apart from the traffic police clearance, the delay in the project was owing to the specialised nature of the engineering work undertaken. We were unable to find the right consultant to award the work to once the tenders were released,” the NDMC official said.

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