Barapullah Phase-III’s opening triggered long queues, with congestion spreading across south Delhi.
Six-lane-to-three-lane merges and abrupt lane endings created bottlenecks as traffic volumes surged.
Police say navigation apps directed commuters towards the corridor despite developing congestion.
Commuters hoping for a shorter journey between east and south Delhi faced lengthy queues on the newly opened Barapullah Phase-III corridor, as traffic drawn to the route overwhelmed its connections with the existing road network.
Inaugurated on September 29 and opened to commuters the following day, the corridor was expected to bring the journey between Mayur Vihar and south Delhi down to about 15 minutes. Instead, queues stretched up to 3.5 km on its first morning, with commuters reporting delays of 40–60 minutes.
By Thursday, congestion had spread across the Ring Road, Outer Ring Road, Mathura Road, DND and Bhairon Marg. Delhi Traffic Police conducted a drone survey to examine the merging points and identify possible changes.
Six Lanes Funnel Into Three
The survey identified locations where two three-lane streams converge into a single three-lane corridor. This forces traffic arriving across six lanes to fit into half that number, creating bottlenecks as vehicles compete for space.
Another problem was identified on the loop over Sundial Park, where the new spur joins the existing Barapullah flyover. A lane ends abruptly at a junction approaching a 90-degree angle, adding to the conflict between merging vehicles, Hindustan Times reported.
These reductions require motorists to change lanes within limited space. Heavy traffic makes those movements harder, slowing vehicles behind them and allowing queues to build along the elevated corridor.
The new route also attracted vehicles that previously used NH-24 and the Delhi–Noida Direct flyway. A Mayur Vihar traffic police official told The Hindu that commuters switched routes after learning that the corridor could shorten their journey to AIIMS.
“Thousands of cars that used to take NH-24 took the left from Mayur Vihar and came towards the flyover. Those who take the Delhi–Noida Direct (DND) Flyway also took the flyover,” the official said.
Delhi Traffic Police estimated that 5–6 lakh vehicles converged on the new route, overwhelming the network at its exit.
South Delhi traffic DCP Sandeep Gupta told The Hindu that Google Maps directed commuters towards the corridor without reflecting the developing congestion.
“Google showed commuters the route but did not show the traffic layering. Everyone kept coming, but there was no option to return or get down,” he said.
Congestion Spreads Across South Delhi
“The opening of Barapullah Phase-III and the resulting changes in traffic movement have significantly affected the Ring Road and the Ashram area,” a senior traffic police officer told Hindustan Times.
Construction at the Modi Mill flyover, Chirag Delhi and flyovers between South Extension and Ashram compounded the disruption. IIT-Delhi’s festival added traffic on the Outer Ring Road, while a bus breakdown near Ashram worsened conditions at night.
On Thursday evening, Google Maps showed the roughly 8 km journey between Safdarjung Hospital and Sarai Kale Khan taking more than an hour. The 5 km stretch between Panchsheel Park and Munirka was taking over 35 minutes.
Ghaziabad resident Karan Singh said navigation apps diverted him towards Bhairon Marg because of congestion along his usual Sarai Kale Khan route.
“It usually takes me around 45 minutes to reach home, but today it will take me more than two hours,” he said.
Police Consider Signal, PWD Discusses Retrofitting
Traffic police are considering an additional signal on the elevated corridor to regulate vehicles entering the bottlenecks. Officers have also been directed to strengthen deployment and intensify regulation at critical merging and exit points.
Around 10–12 personnel were deployed on the Lajpat Nagar side, with a similar number on the Mayur Vihar side. Officials acknowledged that insufficient deployment at some locations may have contributed to the congestion.
PWD did not officially respond to queries. However, a department official said the planning and studies were more than 20 years old and might not have anticipated current traffic volumes after the project’s prolonged delay.
“The project anyway had to be opened as construction was over 95% complete by the time this government took over. We are now discussing what can be done as a retrofitting measure,” the official said.
The ₹1,635-crore project was approved in 2014, with construction beginning in 2015 and completion initially scheduled for 2017. Traffic police said they were assessing the new corridor’s traffic pattern before introducing further corrective measures.
