NHAI to consider underpasses at five major black spots in city
To decongest the heavy flow of vehicular traffic on the main arteries in the city, the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has agreed to consider the proposal of vehicular underpasses (VUPs) at five major accident-prone black spots in the city.
Acceding to the proposal submitted by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora, NHAI Chairman Santosh Kumar Yadav has asked the Regional Officer (RO) to plan the best suitable alternatives for decongesting the heavy traffic flow on the Grand Trunk (GT) Road, connecting Delhi with Jammu via Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Amritsar, in the city.
The development assumes significance as the GT Road, which passes through main city areas, witnesses heavy flow of vehicular traffic, leading to major congestion and frequent mishaps as well.
“Our local MLAs Daljit Singh Grewal and Madan Lal Bagga had brought the matter to my notice following which I took it up with the NHAI Chairman during a meeting in New Delhi on Monday,” Arora told The Tribune on Wednesday.
He demanded the construction of vehicular and light vehicle underpasses at five major strategic locations, which had been identified as black spots, — Subhash Nagar to Sunder Nagar Chowk, Kailash Nagar Chowk, Kakowal Chowk to Shekhewal, Kali-Bindra Colony to Pringle Ground and Jassian Road to the Guruhar Rai Nagar crossing.
“Accepting my proposal, the NHAI Chairman instructed his staff that these should be taken care of by the RO since these are within his powers and should be taken care of as these being accident-prone sites called as black spots,” Arora shared while adding that Yadav had cautioned that commuters and local residents would have to face trouble during the construction of the proposed VUPs due to heavy traffic flow on these stretches.
Besides, he has also proposed the construction of an elevated road from Sherpur Chowk to Jalandhar Bypass to address the severe traffic congestion and reduce the high risk of road accidents.
Earlier, the NHAI had approved the construction of a mini flyover at Kailash Nagar Chowk here. It had agreed to construct the mini flyover at Kailash Nagar Chowk between Shivpuri Chowk to Basti Jodhewal Chowk and further connecting it to New Shakti Nagar/ Subhash Nagar between Basti Chowk and Tajpur Chowk.
“The timely implementation of these infrastructure projects will provide relief to residents,” the ruling AAP member in the Upper House of Parliament said, adding that he had urged the NHAI Chairman to ensure construction of VUPs and LVUPs on a priority basis.
