NEW DELHI: Following heavy rainfall that lashed parts of the city, Delhi Police have advised commuters to plan their peak-hour travel carefully due to persistent traffic snarls caused by waterlogging and uprooted trees. The aftermath of Monday’s downpour has led to significant disruptions across various parts of the city.
The Delhi Traffic Police announced that Minto Bridge will undergo pothole repair work, necessitating the closure of both carriageways during nighttime hours for the second consecutive day. The closures are scheduled for September 2, 3, and 4, from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM each night.
“Due to pothole repair work under Minto Bridge, both carriageways will remain closed during the night hours on 02/03.09.24 & 03/04.09.2024 (from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM). Kindly follow the advisory,” read a traffic advisory from the Delhi Traffic Police.
The closure is expected to cause delays for motorists, particularly those traveling between Connaught Place and New Delhi Railway Station, as well as for those navigating the heavily used roads nearby. Vehicles from Connaught Place via Minto Road will be diverted to Outer Circle and Barakhamba Road towards Turkman Gate/Kamla Market via Ranjeet Singh Flyover. Traffic from Kamla Market on Minto Road will be diverted to Ranjit Singh Marg and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg (Tilak Bridge) towards Connaught Place via Ranjeet Singh Flyover, DDU Marg, and Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg.
As Minto Bridge also connects Connaught Place with New Delhi Railway Station, passengers are advised to take alternative routes. These include traveling from Connaught Place Outer Circle to the railway station via State Entry Road and Chelmsford Road, both of which are typically congested.
In addition, the Delhi Traffic Police issued a traffic advisory on Tuesday for commuters heading towards Rohtak Road, warning of potential congestion due to waterlogging at the Okhla Underpass and disruptions between Nangloi and Tikri Border due to potholes and waterlogged road surfaces. Commuters are advised to avoid Mundka and seek alternate routes.
Another advisory posted on X alerted commuters about disruptions on the service road of UER-II heading towards NH-48, where a damaged height barrier is obstructing traffic flow. Traffic from Dwarka and the Expressway towards NH-48 is expected to be heavy.
Traffic on Mathura Road was also impacted, with the carriageway from Badarpur towards Sarita Vihar experiencing delays due to a bus breakdown near Jaitpur Mor.
On Monday, visuals from Dhaula Kuan showed severe traffic congestion, with vehicles struggling to cross waterlogged roads, making commuting particularly difficult. The waterlogging significantly slowed down traffic, with commuters wading through flooded streets.
Among the most affected areas were Press Enclave Road, particularly the carriageway from Saket Court towards Malviya Nagar, and both carriageways between Dhaula Kuan and Mahipalpur on NH-48. Ring Road experienced substantial congestion on the carriageway from DND Flyway to Moolchand Underpass due to waterlogging near Lajpat Nagar.
The traffic chaos extended to both carriageways of Outer Ring Road and the carriageway from Safdarjung towards Dhaula Kuan on Ring Road. Other severely impacted areas included the carriageway from Badarpur towards Mehrauli on MB Road, the stretch between Kalindi Kunj and Okhla Estate Road, and Mayapuri Chowk.
