Chirag Dilli flyover reopening lights up national capital's mood

The Chirag Dilli flyover has reopened after the crucial route remained closed for 19 days for repair work. The Public Works Department (PWD) has completed repairs and expansion of one side of the carriageway, easing traffic moving towards IIT Delhi from Nehru Enclave, Okhla and southeast Delhi. The PWD shut down the Chirag Dilli flyover on March 12. The closing down of the route caused traffic snarls across south Delhi colonies, including Malviya Nagar, Greater Kailash, CR Park, Panchsheel Park, Sheikh Sarai, IIT Delhi, and Vasant Kunj. Reportedly, the extension joints of the flyover were built in 1992 and are now under repair.

Why did Chirag Dilli flyover close?

On March 12, the Delhi Traffic Police had taken to Twitter to announce the closure of the Chirag Dilli flyover and had also put out a map explaining alternative routes. 

The Chirag Dilli flyover is located on one of the Outer Ring Road's busiest stretches and regularly experiences heavy traffic. The route connects locations including IIT, Kalkaji, Nehru Place, Okhla, CR Park, Savitri Cinema, Munirka, and IGI Airport.

How Chirag Dilli flyover closure affected traffic

The Chirag Dilli overpass closure caused a severe traffic bottlenecks in many locations, with queues varying in length from 800 metres to 1 km.Near Nehru Place, the outer Ring Road, and the IIT carriageway used to be congested with commuters. Over time, many commuters took to Twitter to complain and urged the traffic police to solve traffic troubles.

Dear @dtptraffic, the traffic jam from Chirag Delhi to Pushpa Bhawan has been causing heavy delays for hours now. It's taking 30 minutes to cover just 2 kms. What measures are being taken to ease the situation? #DelhiTraffic #TrafficJam

— Bhavnna Sharma (@bhavnna859) March 13, 2023