Barapullah Road ready for use

Friday, Sep 24, 2010



After several missed deadlines and controversies, the four-kilometre Barapullah elevated road —  which recently hit headlines when a pedestrian bridge, which was a critical component of this project, collapsed — was finally completed and handed over to the government on Thursday. It took 20 months to complete this road that will be used by the athletes and the officials to reach Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium from the Games Village.

On Thursday, the Public Works Department (PWD) handed over the road to the government and Delhi Traffic Police started conducting trial run on it by pressing 240 DTC buses to ply on it. The road has been built at a cost of R498 crore and is expected to ferry 10,000 participants and officials during the Games.

"We will test out mass movement on the stretch on Friday and hopefully by Monday we will start ferrying athletes," said Ajay Chadha, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic).

Hindustan Times visited the stretch on Thursday afternoon and witnessed that many workers were giving finishing touch to the elevated road.

"We will work over night and by Friday morning all works will be completed," said a PWD official.

Though the elevated corridor would initially benefit the Games officials and athletes, once the games are over lakhs of commuters who travel between east and south Delhi will heave a sigh of relief, as it will be opened for public.

Original news source http://www.hindustantimes.com/Barapullah-Road-ready-for-use/Article1-603916.aspx