News: Section of Atul Kataria Marg to be shut for underpass work-24-01-2021
A sloping section of the Lt Atul Kataria Marg, where a 700-metre underpass is to come up, will be shut from Monday till February 28 for excavation work, officials said
“We’ll be starting the construction of the underpass from Monday. For this, there we will be a six-metre-deep excavation. The excavation will be done in a sloping manner. Due to the width of the road being extremely narrow, we cannot take any risk of allowing traffic movement on even one lane, as it could lead to injuries or even casualties,” said Puneet Kumar, executive engineer, construction division, Public Works Department (PWD).
Between Monday and Wednesday, the closure though would be on a temporary basis to allow commuters to accustom themselves to the route diversions. “There is a high volume of traffic on the stretch. Hence, we cannot close the stretch all of a sudden. There has to be prior notice. We are giving commuters three days’ time to get used to the blockade and the route diversions. Only people with emergencies would be allowed to pass through during this period. From Thursday onwards, however, the section of the stretch would be permanently closed till February 28,” said Kumar.
Once the excavation work is completed, work on shifting utilities will commence.
As per PWD’s plan, commuters travelling from Atul Kataria Chowk towards Sheetla Mata Mandir will be diverted via Old Delhi-Gurgaon Road and the Bus Stand Road, in the opposite direction.
The 700-metre bidirectional underpass is expected to ease congestion between Sheetla Mata Mandir and Signature Towers. Once constructed, commuters travelling from Signature Towers can access the L-shaped underpass near Huda nursery, while those travelling from Sheetla Mata Mandir can access it near Shubh Vatika Banquet hall.
A flyover is also being constructed at the junction to ease traffic movement between the bus stand and Kapashera border. The underpass and flyover are expected to cumulatively cost around ₹60 crore. The two infrastructure projects are expected to benefit residents travelling towards the Dwarka Expressway, Gurgaon railway station, Gurgaon bus stand, Kapashera border, Sheetla Mata temple, Signature Towers and the Huda City Centre.
The construction of the flyover and underpass was announced in July 2015 but construction was delayed.
