New traffic circulation plan for CP

Monday , Dec 28, 2009

With the New Delhi Municipal Council taking up redevelopment work at Connaught Place including construction of eight new subways in outer circle, a service corridor in middle circle, façade restoration and other related improvements, a new traffic advisory has been issued for the market place.

The new plan would come into effect from January 1 and remain in place for a period of 80 days.

As per the new traffic circulation plan, only half the width of outer circle would be available for vehicular movement and no parking would be available on middle circle and outer circle. Only one lane would be available in middle circle for traffic movement.Along with issuing the new traffic advisory, the Delhi Traffic Police also advised the general public to use the metro railway and other public transport for commuting to Connaught Place. While bus route numbers 56, 85, 166, 181, 355, 393, 440, 460, 604, 729, RL-77, RL-75, RL-79, RL-77 Extra, GL-91 and 522AC destined for New Delhi Railway station would continue to ply through Connaught Place, routes of other buses plying through Connaught Place have been changed and would be notified shortly by the Delhi Transport Corporation.

The eight subways that will come up in the outer circle will include one near Super Bazar, Minto Road, State Entry Road, Chelmsford Road, Bhagat Singh Marg, and two each at Punchkuian Road and Barakhamba Road on both sides of the metro line. These subways will be disabled-friendly and have escalators.

Work on the subways is expected to be completed in three phases and would cost Rs.35 crore. The condition of existing subways would also be improved as part of the project. Apart from subway construction and improvement the NDMC is also going to begin with service ducting in the middle circle which will require more digging to put all wires and cables into a duct.

However, traders of Connaught Place have not taken well to the traffic arrangements following the redevelopment work. According to New Delhi Traders' Association president Atul Bharghav, the new traffic circulation plan would only lead to increased traffic congestion and bottlenecks in Connaught Place and have an adverse impact on their business.At present facade restoration work is on in 16 blocks in Connaught Place making it a task for pedestrians to walk around the area. These projects have a deadline of Commonwealth Games 2010 due to which they have all been taken up simultaneously.

Original news source http://www.thehindu.com/2009/12/28/stories/2009122855910400.htm